
Rnolc G 7 
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SHAFT GOVERNORS 



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OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 

ENGINE ROOM CHEMISTRY 

By HUBERT E. COLLINS 

BOILERS KNOCKS AND KINKS 

SHAFT GOVERNORS PUMPS 

ERECTING WORK SHAFTING, PULLEYS AND 
PIPES AND PIPING BELTING 

By F. E. MATTHEWS 
REFRIGERATION. (In Preparation.) 



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THE POWER HANDBOOKS 

SHAFT GOVERNORS 

CENTRIFUGAL AND INERTIA 

SIMPLE METHODS FOR THE ADJUSTMENT OF 
ALL CLASSES OF SHAFT GOVERNORS 

COMPILED AND WRITTEN 
BY 

HUBERT E. COLLINS 



1908 

HILL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

505 PEARL STREET, NEW YORK 

6 BOUVERIE STREET, LONDON, E.G. 

American Machinist — Power — The Engineering and Mining Journal 



Copyright, 1908, BY THE Hill Publishing Company 



All rights reserved 



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NOV 17 1908 

Copyright tntry 
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COPY 3. 



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CONTENTS 



CHAP. PAGE 

I Evolution of the Shaft Governor i 

II General Definitions and Rules 25 

III Adjusting the Rites Inertia Governor - - - 33 

IV The Buckeye Engine Governor and its Adjust- 

ment 42 

V Straight-line Engine Governor 67 

VI Ideal Engine Governors 70 

VII Adjustment of Fleming Engine Governors . . 74 

VIII McIntosh, Seymour & Co.'s Engine Governor . 80 

IX Robb-Armstrong-Sweet Governor 92 

X The Fitchburg Steam-Engine Governor . . 94 
XI The American-Ball Balanced Automatic Gover- 
nor 97 

XII Curtis Steam Turbine Governors . 104 

XIII Changing the Speed of Pendulum Governors . iii 



INTRODUCTION 

This book is made up from material originally 
published in Power, together with some special articles 
which have been prepared to make it a complete 
handbook of the subject. The fact that nowhere in 
a single book can all of this material be found in a 
form which will be useful to the practical engineer, 
will, it is hoped, make the book of special interest and 
value. 

The compiler wishes to acknowledge his indebted- 
ness to a number of men who have contributed brief 
articles to Power and furnished him with special in- 
formation regarding the various types of governors. 

Hubert E. Collins. 

New York, September, 1908. 



Vll 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR.* 

The development of the shaft governor has been a 
slow and steady one in this country, commencing prob- 
ably in 1829, or possibly even later. It is quite prob- 
able that for a long time this governor met with little 
or no practical application, as it is a fact which will 
appear later that the period of its practical applica- 
tion can hardly be said to have begun before 1876. 
Since that time the growth in use of this governor in 
this country has been remarkable and many forms 
have been produced, all of which possess more or less 
merit. In England this governor seems to be scarcely 
known to-day, judging at least from the literature on 
the subject, while on the continent of Europe its use 
is also very limited. 

My sources of information regarding the develop- 
ment of the shaft governor are principally to be found 
in the literature relating to the steam engine, which 
has been published from time to time during the last 
thirty or forty years, and in the records of the United 
States patent oifice. 

The general works relating to the steam engine, 

* Paper read at the meeting of the Engine Builders' Association, New York, 
December, 1901, by R. C. Carpenter. 



2 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

with the exception of a few American works in late 
years, contain very Httle in relation to the shaft gov- 
ernor. So far as I can ascertain, all the works published 
by English authors, even up to a very late date, are 
entirely silent on this subject; thus, for instance, the 
work on the steam engine by Prof. John Perry, written 
in 1899, while devoting a full chapter to the subject 
of the fly-wheel and governor, and while describing in 
full the theory and various forms of the pendulum 
governor, is absolutely silent regarding the shaft 
governor. So far as I can learn from the literature 
which has been printed in England regarding the steam 
engine, any student obtaining his information from 
such books would know nothing whatever of the struc- 
ture of the shaft governor. 

The French writers on the subject of the steam 
engine do give considerable information relating to 
the subject of the shaft governor; the governor is, 
however, invariably described as an American inven- 
tion which is used on certain American engines, and 
one obtains the idea from such a description that the 
governor is little used in France. 

American books relating to the structure of the 
steam engine published twenty-five years ago entirely 
neglect the existence of such a governing device, and 
it seems quite probable that although the shaft gov- 
ernor was used twenty-five years ago to a very limited 
extent, it had not, at that time, made a sufficiently 
strong impression on writers as to lead them to con- 
sider that it was a practical device. As illustrations 
of this kind, we note a few instances. Thus, Knight's 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 3 

Mechanical Dictionary, published in 1877, is a work 
devoted to explaining the structure of various machines 
and prime movers, and has never been surpassed or 
even equaled in its particular field. This work de- 
scribes in detail the structure of a large number of 
governing devices and presents a full-page illustra- 
tion showing the forms of governors supposed to be 
of practical value. (Fig. i.) You will notice that 
some twenty-three different forms are shown, all, 
however, of the type known as the rotating or swing- 
ing pendulum governors, and none belong to the class 
which it is the object of my paper to describe. 
In Appleton's Encyclopaedia of Applied Mechanics, 
published in 1878, and edited by the ablest corps of 
specialists ever employed at that date in this country, 
is a very full and complete article on the steam engine, 
but it makes no reference whatever to the use of the 
shaft governor, which was perhaps inexcusable at 
that date, as a shaft governor was exhibited at the 
Centennial Exposition in 1876. 

The oldest book which I have in my library con- 
taining references to the shaft governor is ''Steam 
Using; or. Steam Engine Practice," written by Prof. 
Charles A. Smith, of St. Louis, in 1885. In this work 
are published detailed drawings of a Westinghouse 
engine, and also a Buckeye engine, and each is shown 
with a shaft governor. I have no information at 
hand which enables me to state the earliest dates at 
which these companies commenced the building of 
shaft governors on a commercial scale, nor am I cer- 
tain but that other engine companies introduced the 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 




FIG. I 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 



use of the governor at a somewhat earher date. Views 
of these governors as given in Professor Smith's work 
are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At the Centennial Expo- 
sition at Philadelphia, held in 1876, Prof. John E. 
Sweet showed an engine fitted with a shaft governor 
which had been built under his supervision by stu- 




FIG. 2 



dents in the shops of Cornell University. This ex- 
hibition seems to have been the inspiration which 
resulted in the construction of the shaft governor by 
many manufacturers, and the governor shown (Fig. 4) 
was the pioneer in the later period of development of 
this important invention. 

This was not the first engine constructed by Professor 
Sweet, but was, I believe, engine No. 3. This Cen- 
tennial engine is still preserved in the Museum of Sibley 
College, although the original governor was long ago 



6 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

removed. The original governor was temporarily 
removed in 1889 to carry on some experimental work 
with governors of a different design on the same engine. 
Some of the parts of the governor were broken and it 
has never been possible to restore them in the original 
condition. The shaft governor on the Centennial en- 
gine was very different in construction from the later 




FIG. 3 



ones designed by Professor Sweet and from the one 
now used on the Straight Line engine. The valve- 
rod was connected to an eccentric through the medium 
of a geared disk. 

In later constructions of the governor applied to 
the Straight Line engine, the valve is connected to a 
swinging eccentric by link motions. 

My study of the literature of the subject would in- 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 



7 



dicate that the shaft governor is at least, so far as its 
practical application is concerned, strictly an Ameri- 
can invention, and furthermore, this invention has 
not been introduced to any great extent, even at the 
present time in Europe, while in England its use is so 
limited that English writers of text-books have not 
considered it of sufficient importance to merit any 





FIG. 4 



mention. In this country the steam engine governor 
has followed the course of every great invention in its 
development; it has been developed, not by a single 
person or as a single invention, but rather by the slow 
and tedious process of experiment and practice. As 
in the steam engine itself, we find, doubtless, first a 
period of speculation, during which time theoretical 
investigations were made and patents taken out, and 
this period probably extended until about 1870; then 
comes a period of application, beginning in a small 



8 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

way perhaps with 1870 and extending through the 
next fifteen years, during which time numerous appli- 
cations of various forms were made, tried with greater 
or less success, modified and improved until finally a 
high degree of perfection has been reached. 

The earlier form of governor and the one which is 
almost exclusively used in England and other European 
countries to-day was invented by James Watt, or at 
least adapted for use on the steam engine by Watt. 

It is hardly probable that Watt ever considered 
himself as the inventor of the governor for regulating 
the speed of an engine, for the reason that I do not 
find this invention claimed in any of his patents and, 
judging from the character of the claims made in his 
numerous patents. Watt was not the kind of a man to 
omit protecting himself for any of his inventions. 

In the life of Watt, by Muirhead, it is stated that 
for the purpose of regulating the speed of the engine 
Mr. Watt tried various methods, but at last fixed upon 
what he called the ''governor," consisting of a per- 
pendicular axis turned by the engine; to a joint near 
the top of this axis is suspended two iron rods carrying 
heavy balls of metal at their lower ends, in the nature of 
pendulums. When this axis is put in motion by the 
engine the balls recede from the perpendicular by the 
centrifugal force, and, by means of a combination of 
levers fixed on their upper end, raise the end of a lever 
which acts upon the spanner of the throttle-valve and 
shuts it more or less according to the speed of the en- 
gine, so that as the velocity augments the valve is 
shut, until the speed of the engine and the opening 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 9 

of the valve come to a maximum and balance each 
other. The application of the centrifugal principle 
was not a new invention, but had been applied by 
others to the regulation of water and windmills and 
other things; but Mr. Watt improved the mechanism 
by which it acted upon the machines and adapted it 
to his engines. 

Such, says M. Arago in describing Mr. Watt's appli- 
cation to the steam engine of the governor or regulator 
by centrifugal force, was its efficacy, that there was to 
be seen at Manchester a few years ago, in the cotton 
mill of Mr. Lee, a man of great mechanical talents, a 
clock which was set in motion by the steam engine 
used in the work, and which marked time very well, 
even beside a common pendulum clock. 

The principle of action of the simple governor of 
the revolving pendulum type can be expressed by an 
equation as follows: 






from which 



n^= ^ 



n 



>7rV h 



4 7r'h 



g _ constant 



In this equation n equals the number of turns per 
second, v the velocity in feet per second, r the horizon- 
tal projection of the arm of the pendulum, h the vertical 
projection of the arm of the pendulum, g the force of 
gravity. These equations are well known and the ex- 



10 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

planation of their derivation can be found in any treatise 
on the subject. It is noted that the position of the 
governor balls which are determined by the quantity h 
does not vary with the speed of the engine which is 
represented by the smybol n, but varies with the square 
of the speed of n^, consequently a governor of the simple 
pendulum type cannot be made so as to give a per- 
fectly uniform motion without some change in form 
or construction not known to Watt. To make the 
revolving pendulum isochronous in its action many 
devices have been brought out, and while these have 
in a great measure improved its action, none of them 
have been entirely successful. The pendulum gov- 
ernor has been much improved by arranging it to lift 
a weight and also by crossing the arms of the pendu- 
lum and arranging their point of suspension to one 
side of the axis. By these arrangements the distance 
passed through by the moving parts of the governor 
becomes very nearly proportional to the change in 
motion of the engine. These governors have also 
been constructed so as to utilize the force of springs 
instead of that of gravity to counteract the effect of 
the centrifugal force. 

The revolving pendulum governor has usually been 
constructed to regulate the speed by being attached 
to a throttle-valve in the steam-pipe, which was opened 
or closed as desired. It has, however, been employed 
in a few cases to regulate the motion of the engine by 
changing the travel of the steam-valve through the 
medium of a link motion, and in the drop cut-oflF class 
of engines to regulate the speed by unlocking the valve 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR ii 

mechanism so as to permit closing, as in the CorHss 
type of engine. 

Where the regulation is accomplished by throttling 
the steam supply, poor results are generally obtained 
for reasons entirely independent of the action of the 
governor, since necessarily more or less time must 
elapse before the proper amount of steam to give the 
desired speed can be made to pass through a throttled 
orifice. The throttling governor as usually constructed 
in this country has not been of the highest type of 
workmanship, nor has it accomplished all of the results 
in regulation which would have been possible with 
governors of its type and class, made with better design 
and workmanship. 

The formula to which reference has already been 
made does not consider the retarding effect of friction. 
There is perhaps nothing so important in its effect on 
results of regulation as friction, which always acts to 
resist any moving force; it tends to prevent the gov- 
ernor balls from moving to their true position whether 
the motion of the engine is too fast or too slow, and con- 
sequently it becomes responsible for irregular action of 
the governor and for much of the imperfect regulation. 
It is, however, important to note that the revolving 
pendulum governor is not theoretically perfect, and 
aside from imperfections of construction and design 
it cannot be made to give a perfectly uniform motion 
to the engine. 

In the shaft governor we find in every case a weight 
supported by an arm or arranged to move in guides 
connected to a revolving fly-wheel, so that the centrif- 



12 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

ugal force tends to throw it away from the center. A 
spring is employed to counteract the effect of centrif- 
ugal force and is so arranged as to restore the weights 
to the normal position when the engine comes to rest. 
In this governor the centrifugal force tends to throw 
the weighted portions outward and toward the cir- 
cumference of the revolving wheel, whereas the spring 
tends to draw the weight inward and counteracts the 
centrifugal force, holding the governor iti such position 
as to maintain uniform speed. By properly propor- 
tioning and arranging the weights and the spring, it 
is entirely possible to make a governor of this class so 
that its parts will move directly proportional to any 
change of speed of the engine, and consequently it 
will take such a position as will tend to keep the mo- 
tion perfectly uniform regardless of other conditions. 
In other words, it is possible to make a governor of 
this class which will give theoretically uniform motion. 
The tendency of a moving body to continue its 
motion uniformly has been well known since the time 
of Sir Isaac Newton and is generally known as the 
''principle of inertia." It has been recognized from 
the earliest times in the art of steam engine building 
that heavy fly-wheels conduced to uniformity of motion 
because of the inertia of the parts. This uniformity 
of motion is a well-known function of the weight of 
the fly-wheel. Consequently it has been the practice 
for years to use heavy fly-wheels where a uniform 
motion is desired, and even at the present time we 
have found no system of regulation which entirely 
permits us to do away with that produced by the inertia 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 13 

of heavy weights. The irregular motion produced by 
the intermittent action of the steam on the piston 
can be very largely reduced to a uniform action by 
the use of an extremely heavy fly-wheel and the minute 
variations in speed can probably be controlled by no 
other method. As the engine is made to revolve at 
a higher speed the impulses are made at greater rapidity 
and consequently a fly-wheel of smaller weight can be 
employed for the same degree of uniformity of motion. 
The shaft governor could, of course, be connected to 
a throttle of a steam engine and would in that case 
produce results superior to any of the revolving pen- 
dulum governors, but such an application has, so far, 
as I know, never been attempted. The governor has 
been universally connected through the medium of 
rods and links directly to the main or auxiliary valve 
which regulates the supply of steam to the engine. 
The advantage gained by this construction is that of 
admitting steam of full power behind the piston at 
each stroke, and thus giving the full benefits of ex- 
pansion of the steam in its work. 

This advantage is great and will result under usual 
conditions in a marked improvement in economy, as 
compared with a throttling engine otherwise the same. 
I had an opportunity once of testing two engines, one 
automatic, the other throttling, both in excellent con- 
dition, doing alternately the same work. The results, 
which I do not have here in full, showed slightly over 
12 per cent, in favor of the economy of the automatic 
engines, yet the conditions I considered as favorable 
as possible for the throttling construction. 



14 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

The shaft governor has proved itself to be especially 
adapted for engines moving at a comparatively high 
speed of rotation. The results produced in the way 
of regulation in engines of this type have been in some 
instances simply remarkable, as it has been found 
entirely possible to produce a governor which would 
hold the engine to the same number of revolutions per 
minute, whether the engine were running light or 
loaded, or whether the load were suddenly or slowly 
applied or removed. 

The shaft governor, revolving as it does with the 
shaft of the engine, is affected by the inertia of its 
particles in the same manner as the revolving fly-wheel. 
The governor parts may be arranged so that this 
inertia efl'ect may tend to make its action quicker, in 
which case the regulation of the engine would be 
improved, or it may be arranged so as to have the 
reverse efi*ect, in which case the regulation of the 
engine would be worse than before. This efl'ect of 
inertia on the part of the governor and its use for 
improving the regulation was not recognized until the 
shaft governor had been pretty well developed, but a 
study of the drawings of some of the early types of 
governors show that they were constructed and oper- 
ated in such manner as to have the full benefit of 
inertia to aid in the regulation. This seems to have 
been notably true in the case of the governor shown 
by Professor Sweet at the Centennial Exposition. 

The records of the American Patent Office in refer- 
ence to the shaft governor are of much interest, but 
time will not permit any extended reference to these 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 



IS 



records. A few of the earlier patents are, however, 
considered of so much importance that drawings are 
submitted and quite full references are given. These 
early patents do not, probably, represent any practical 
application, but they are interesting as showing a 
complete understanding, not only of the theory of the 
shaft governor, but of methods of application to 
practical work. 

The earliest reference which I have been able to 




FIG. 5 



find to the shaft governor is shown in a patent granted 
J. D. Custer, June 21, 1839 (Figs. 5 and 6). From 
these it will be seen that it consisted of two balls or 
weights symmetrically disposed in the fly-wheel and in 
gravity balance and pivoted to radial arms and con- 
nected by links with the eccentric in such a manner 
that the action of the centrifugal force would cause 
the balls to fly out, and this action would twist the 



i6 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



eccentric on its center so as to reduce the travel of 
the valve. The action of the centrifugal force was 
opposed by a flat spring. The drawing indicates a 
form of a governor which should have been of practical 
utility, but I have not been able to find, however, that 
the governor patented by Custer was ever put into 




PIG. 6 



practical use. It is quite certain that this invention 
did not produce any great change in the art of building 
steam engines, as the shaft governor seems to have 
been practically unknown for nearly a third of a century 
after this date. 

The next governor patent to be granted was to Lewis 
Eikenberry, of Philadelphia, April i, 1862 (Fig. 7). 
The patent was given principally for an improvement 
in variable cut-off valves, in which the valve motion 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 



17 



was regulated by use of a cam. The shaft governor 
shown was of pecuhar type, in which the pivots or the 
arms to which the balls were fastened were in the 
plane of the revolving wheel so that the centrifugal 
force carried the balls into a position at an angle to 
the plane of the wheel and nearly parallel to the shaft. 




FIG, 7 



This form of governor should have been efficient and 
effective, but it doubtless would have proved not prac- 
ticable to apply in numerous cases. The next governor 
patent was granted to Joab H. Wooster, August 20, 
1867, o^ which no picture is shown, of the same general 
type as that granted to J. D. Custer; in this patent, 
however, the eccentric was arranged so as to fit loosely 
upon the shaft and was connected to the governor in 
such a manner that it would swing past the center of 



l8 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

the shaft, thus changing the lead of the valve. The 
construction shown in the patent granted for this gov- 
ernor would probably have resulted in a partial success, 
but I have not been able to find evidence which would 
show whether or not this governor was put into prac- 
tical operation. 

The next patents in order, to which we will refer 
only by name, were as follows: Samuel Stanton, New- 
burg, N. Y., July 14, 1868; D. A. Woodbury, Rochester, 
N. Y., May 31, 1870, and also September 27, 1870. In 
the latter patent, which shows a governor used later 
in the well-known Woodbury engine, a distinct state- 
ment is made in the specifications regarding the effect 
of inertia on the parts of the governor, and the arrange- 
ment is made so that inertia, as well as centrifugal 
force, is employed for governing purposes. 

The next patent in order was granted to Joseph W. 
Thompson, Salem, Ohio, July 15, 1872, and which, 
with a later one granted April 27, 1875, and still 
another on January 18, 1878, forms the basis of con- 
struction which has been used so long and with such 
excellent results in the Buckeye engine. 

In chronological order patents were granted to John 
C. Hoadley, October 28, 1873, and March 17, 1874, for 
shaft governors, both of which were practically used 
on the Hoadley engine. 

From this time on patents on shaft governors are 
exceedingly numerous and cover different forms of 
mechanical devices and different methods of applica- 
tion of mechanical principles. The improvements of 
a later date are generally of a nature which resulted 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 19 

in simplifying the construction, reducing the number 
of working parts, lessening the friction and thus making 
the governor more perfect in its action. 

The shaft governors can be divided into two classes 
with respect to the motion of the valve, namely: 

Class I, in which the eccentric is rotated or twisted 
around the shaft. The travel of valve is changed 
without change of lead. 

Class II, in which the eccentric is mounted on a disk 
with a center different from that of the fly-wheel and 
is swung in the arc of a circle across the center of the 
shaft. The travel of the valve is changed with change 
of lead. 

For both the above classes of valve-gear the governor 
can be essentially of the same character, hence the 
above distinction does not necessarily indicate a struc- 
tural difference in the governors. 

Neglecting the difference of swinging or rotating 
eccentric, governors can be divided into three groups, 
depending on structural differences. 

These groups are as follows: 

I. Governors with two weights in gravity balance, 
as already shown in early examples in the Custer, 
Buckeye and Westinghouse governors. 

II. Governors with a single weight in gravity bal- 
ance, with eccentric and governor mechanism. 

III. Governors with single arm in partial gravity 
balance which carries inertia weight, centrifugal weight 
and eccentric. 

All the above classes can be operated so as to have 
regulation assisted or retarded by inertia and can 



20 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



probably be connected to rotating or a swinging 
eccentric as desired. 

A very good illustration of a shaft governor of the 
first class is shown in Fig. 8. The eccentric is mounted 
on a plate G, pivoted at P and is connected to E B, 
No. I, and E B, No. 2, by connecting rods, in such a 




FIG. 8 



manner that the action of centrifugal force in throwing 
the weights B B outward causes the center of the 
eccentric to swing toward the center of the shaft. 
The springs pivoted at K rock against the centrifugal 
force and hold the weights in a determinate position 
for each speed. The dashpot simply restrains the 
motion when too rapid and tends to prevent racing. 
There are numerous governors in this class. 

Fig. 9 represents a notable illustration of a shaft 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 21 

governor in Class II. This governor, although con- 
sisting of a single weight, is still in gravity balance. 
Its advantages over those in Class I are a less number 
of working parts, simpler construction and less friction. 




FIG. 9 



The governor is used on the Straight Line engines and 
one or two others, and is the latest design of Prof. 
John E. Sweet. 

Fig. 10 represents a governor in Class III. This 
governor was designed by different engineers and the 
patents are now owned by Mr. Frank Rites. It is now 
in very extensive use in the United States. This gov- 
ernor has a single moving part mounted on a single 
pivot. It is designed to take full advantage of inertia, 
and is so nearly in gravity balance that no bad results 
in regulation were ever shown by defects in balancing. 



22 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



The friction in this governor can be reduced to a 
minimum and the results are great sensitiveness and 
wonderful regulation under adverse conditions. 

The accompanying table gives a list of United States 




FIG. lO 



patents for improvements in the shaft governor granted 
previous to 1880, in all only twenty-nine, of which five 
were, granted before 1870, and twenty-five between 
1870 and 1880. Since that date the patents have been 
numerous. 



EVOLUTION OF THE SHAFT GOVERNOR 23 



EARLY LIST OF U. S. PATENTS FOR SHAFT GOVERNORS 
Patents Granted Prior to 1880 



1839 
1862 
1862 
1867 
1868 

1870 

(I 

1872 
1875 
18.73 
1874 
1875 



1876 



1877 
1878 



1879 



1880 



June 21 
Apr. I 
Apr. 16 
Aug. 20 
July 14 
May 31 
Sept. 27 
July 16 
April 27 
Oct. 28 
Mch. 17 
June 29 

" 29 

July 20 
Aug. 31 
Sept. 21 
Jan. II 
Sept. 5 
May II 
Jan. 9 
June 18 
July 30 
Aug. 6 
Sept. 3 

'' 3 
Jan. 14 

" 14 
Mch. 18 
Nov. 4 
May 25 
Aug. 17 



1,179 
34,821 

38,055 
67,936 
80,025 
103,698 
107,746 
128,986 
162,715 
144,098 
148,560 
164,917 
164,942 

165,744 
167,225 

167,835 
172,116 
181,927 

184.443 
187,116 

204,924 
206,500 
206,792 
207,607 
207,608 
211,309 
211,335 

213,3^5 
221,296 

227,967 

231,228 



J. D. Custer, 

L. Eikenbury, Philadelphia, Pa. 
Joab Wooster, Strykersville, N.Y. 
S. Stanton, Newburg, N. Y. 
D. A. Woodbury, Rochester, N. Y. 

a a it 

J. W. Thompson, Salem, O. 
J. C. Hoadley, Lawrence, Mass. 

U (I (( 

G. C. Suiss, 

H. S. Maxim, Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Corbitt & Campbell, Milwaukee, Wis. 

J. Felber, St. Louis, Mo. 

Hall & Whitteman, Hasma, N. Y. 

G. F. Ernst, St. Louis, Mo. 

G. E. Tower, Annapolis, Md. 

Cosgrove, Faribault, Minn. 

Thompson & Hunt, Salem, O. 

H. Tabor, Corning, N. Y. 

C. B. Smith, Newark, N. J. 

D. O. Ladd, Chicago. 

L. H. Watson, " 

C. S. Locke, 

G. H. Cobb, Palmer, Mass. 

F. Fosdick, Fitchburg, Mass. 

C. V. B., San Francisco. 

W. Johnson, Lambert ville, N. J. 



The limits of this paper do not permit an opportunity 
for further discussion of the various forms of shaft 



24 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

governor, or of its theory and method of action. The 
account of the development is imperfect, for the reason 
that the sources of information available were neither 
numerous nor exhaustive, but it is to be hoped that 
various members of the association will supplement 
the facts gathered together and presented in this short 
paper, with data relating to the development of the 
governor, while it is still fresh in mind. 

There are many reasons for obtaining this informa- 
tion fully and in detail while there is an opportunity. 
Such investigation as made indicates that the shaft 
governor as we know it to-day is essentially an Amer- 
can invention, conceived, developed and perfected in 
this country. 

The importance of this system of regulation is so 
fully recognized as to need no argument in its favor, 
and while at the present time the shaft governor is 
used only in an experimental way on certain classes 
of engines, yet the few experiments which have been 
performed indicate that its field is not limited to any 
great extent by speed requirements, and it seems rea- 
sonable to suppose that a period of development may 
extend its use to include not only all classes of steam 
engines, but gas engines as well. 

The demand for close speed regulation came with the 
invention of the incandescent. 



II 

GENERAL DEFINITIONS AND RULES 

Before going further into the subject of governors 
it may be well to fix in our minds some of the definitions 
of terms used in reference to them, and already referred 
to in Chapter I. 

Centrifugal force is that force which tends to fly from 
a center. A familiar illustration of it may be noted in 
swinging a weight, attached to a cord, about the head. 
The longer the cord the greater the force required to 
keep it revolving. 

Centripetal force is force which always tends toward 
a center; the opposite of centrifugal force. 

Inertia is that property of matter which tends to 
keep it at rest when resting, and, when in motion, 
tends to keep it moving in a straight line. It is this 
force which makes it difficult to start a heavily loaded 
wheelbarrow, and also to bring it to rest again when 
well under way. 

Isochronal means relating to equal periods of time. 
This term is sometimes used in reference to shaft 
governors. The principal difference between the two 
general classes of governors, pendulum, and shaft is 
in the action of the forces which control them. In the 
pendulum governors there are the two forces, centrif- 

25 



26 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

ugal and gravity, which are equal at only one point 
of the operation of the same. In the shaft governor 
the force of inertia, or centrifugal force, is at all times 
opposed by an equal amount of spring-force. The 
weight-force increases as the weights move from the 
center, the spring-force also increases as the springs 
are extended by the weights. 

When a governor is ''sluggish," the speed falls far 
below its rating, and is not acquired again quickly, 
perhaps not at all. The weight-force is greater than 
the spring-force; the former must be decreased to get 
sensitiveness, and the latter altered to get the speed. 

When an engine simply ''speeds up" and must be 
checked on the throttle, either excessive friction in 
some of the parts exists or the spring-force is too great. 
Decrease the spring-tension to remedy this. 

When an engine "races" or hunts" the two forces 
are unbalanced and are alternating rapidly in over- 
coming each other, causing the engine to alternate in 
speed within a certain range. Giving less tension on 
springs to decrease sensitiveness and changing weight 
to get the speed, is the remedy. 

Racing may also be caused by friction of parts or 
other local troubles, as will be shown later in this 
chapter. There is, however, a noticeable difference 
between racing caused by over-sensitiveness and fric- 
tion. When it is caused by the spring-tension alone 
the changes in speed will be rapid and even, within a 
certain range. When caused by friction the weights 
will stick on their inner position until the speed de- 
veloped is so high as to throw them out with a noise; 



GENERAL DEFINITIONS AND RULES 27 

or, when the engine is above speed, they will stick 
where they are until the speed is reduced enough for 
the springs to draw them back again. 

The speed at which they will regulate, and the sensi- 
bility of the shaft governors depend principally on the 
following conditions: (i) Tension of springs; (2) the 
distance from the pivot where they are attached to 
the weight, or weight-arms; (3) the amount of weight; 
(4) the distance of weight from fulcrum. 

Examples of, and Search for. Trouble 

All of the well-known makes of shaft governors at 
the present date, of whatever class they may be, are 
thoroughly tested, regulated, and set by the makers, 
so that in the start they are turned over to the oper- 
ating engineer regulating to within a certain range of 
percentage of speed called for, and are as perfect as 
they can be made. The difficurties that arise after 
being in service some time have a cause and a remedy. 

Once a governor is perfected and running there is 
no reason why it cannot be brought back to that 
condition after it has been lost. If this fact is kept in 
mind, by perseverance the trouble will be readily 
found; often it is a very slight one, so small as to be 
easily overlooked. An engineer has been known to 
take a spanner-wrench and give the valve-rod gland a 
half turn to tighten it up, and so caused his engine to 
run away. Another had his engine, with a Sweet 
Governor, race because a single very small grain of 
gravel got between the band which connects the spring 



28 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

and" weight-arm and the weight-arm itself. Again a 
pinching cap on one of the fulcrum-pins or a sHght burr 
on a valve-rod has caused trouble in a governor. The 
slightest thing should not be overlooked. Dry pins 
are often the seat of trouble; and a governor, to be 
properly attended, should be oiled as regularly as 
any other part of the engine, and once in a while 
all pins and bearings should be taken apart and 
cleaned. 

When a search for trouble begins nothing should be 
neglected, from the governor-eccentric to the farthest 
edge of the valve in the valve chest. Disconnect the 
eccentric rod or rods, as the case may be, from the 
governor-eccentric, and remove or release the spring 
or springs from the weight-arm or arms. 

Then move the weight-arms in and out on their 
travel from inner to outer positions. Most of the 
shaft governors made on engines from 5 H. P. to 1,000 
H. P. are so counterbalanced that when thus operated 
one man should be able, on the smaller makes, to easily 
move the parts in and out with one hand, and, on the 
larger engines, with both hands, but he should never 
use a bar of any kind. 

If they do not move so freely as to permit this the 
trouble is caused by dry or cut pins, pinching caps, 
bent rods or links making pins bind, pinching or dry 
eccentric-straps, or eccentric binding (in some instances 
between a bearing and governor-wheel hub) or some- 
times gummed oil and grit cause it. 

If the governor is free and in perfect condition dis- 
connect the valves from the rockers or valve-rod slides, 



GENERAL DEFINITIONS AND RULES 29 

as the case may be. Then look for dry surface of pins 
or bearings or sHdes, bent rods and other Hke condi- 
tions. This done, see that the valve stems are straight 
and true, and in line with their connections, also that 
their bearings do not bind and are not dry. See 
whether they are burred or worn small in stuffmg box 
so that the packing binds it when pulled up tight, and 
whether the packing is old and dry. 

Then look into the steam chest. See if the valve is 
set properly and if it leaks, or if the pressure-plate 
binds. Often an engineer forgets that proper valve 
setting is as essential as it is to have the governor free 
and well lubricated. An illustration of the fact that 
the valve setting must be carefully reckoned on is 
shown by the following experience : 

A 500 H. P. cross-compound engine running con- 
densing in a certain power house near New York City, 
began at one time to race and speed up very badly, 
and used much steam for no apparent cause. The 
steam pressure was 120 lbs. and the receiver pressure 
was from 45 to 70 lbs., which in itself showed some- 
thing wrong with the valves, though the trouble was 
attributed to the governor. 

This engine was vertical and had four gridiron 
valves to each cylinder, which allowed each valve to 
be set independently. The valves had small lap and 
the steam was admitted over the edges of the valves 
nearest the end of cylinder. An examination showed 
that the top steam-valve had been shoved up so that 
a late opening of valve occurred, and when the valve 
was supposedly lapped there was reopening of the 



30 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

same on the opposite edges. This allowed the steam 
to blow through and on into the receiver, raising the 
receiver pressure and exerting a back pressure on the 
up stroke almost equal to the initial pressure on 
the opposite side of the piston. This made the H. P. 
cylinder inoperative, and the L. P. cylinder was doing 
more than its rating, thus unbalancing the engine and 
putting it beyond the control of the governor. 

One turn on the valve-stem, drawing the valve into 
place, corrected all the trouble. 

In one instance a large engine of well-known make 
ran for some time giving bad service — regulating 
badly. Finally it was discovered that the pressure- 
plates were so weak that they sprung in and pinched 
the valves while running, but were always apparently 
free when tested at other times. New and stiffer 
pressure-plates remedied this. 

In cases where the direction of rotation of an engine 
is changed from running over to running under, or 
vice versa, the eccentric, and all governor parts, must 
be changed in their positions. The various makers 
give instructions for these changes, but the essential 
points to know in connection with quick changes are 
these: The pivoted ends of the levers should always 
lead, and the weights follow, the desired direction of 
rotation, and be so placed that when the weights 
move out the eccentric will be either advanced in 
the direction it will run for governors of the first class, 
Chapter I, or thrown across the shaft center in gov- 
ernors of the second class. Lack of a knowledge of 
this is sometimes a very serious source of trouble, 



GENERAL DEFINITIONS AND RULES 



31 



and these facts should be carefully stored in the mind, 
when a search for trouble begins. 

At times it seems impossible to get enough spring- 
force to obtain proper adjustment of the governor, 
either from too long a spring or a weak one, more 
commonly the former. The remedy is to cut off one 
or two coils of the spiral spring until the desired effect 
is obtained. The best way to make such a cut is to 
spread the coils by driving a chisel between them and 
keeping it there until a score can be filed all the way, 
or at least three-fourths of the way around the springs; 
then remove the chisel from between the coils and 
finish the break with the chisel, laying the coil on an 
anvil or some heavy ridged surface. The flying coils, 
when they have parted from the rest, should be guarded 
against. 

When we have a governor such as is described in 
the third group, Chapter I, we have the force of inertia 
to deal with in addition to the spring and centrifugal 
force. 

In this type of governor, the weight on both the 
spring and free ends of the bar is inertia in effect, 
but changes of weight on one end has the opposite 
effect to the same change on the other end. 

Changing the spring in this governor gives the same 
results as with all governors. 

Changing the weight on the free end of these gov- 
ernor arms gives the same results as with the others. 

A change of weight on the spring end of these arms 
gives the opposite effect to a like change on the other 
end. No radical change in weight of this class of 



32 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

governor should be attempted without consulting the 
builder. , 

Sometimes, with the governor properly adjusted 
and free from friction, the engine will still speed up. 
This is caused by leaky valves or from insufficient 
steam-lap to cover the parts at all points of the engine- 
stroke, when the governor-weights are at the outer 
extreme of their travel. To test for this latter defect, 
remove the governor-spring or springs and block the 
weight-arms to their outer position, and then, while 
turning the engine one complete revolution, observe 
whether the steam edges or steam-valve covers the 
ports at all points of the revolution. If they do not, 
the valve setting must be changed to accomplish this. 

The rules of action laid down in this chapter apply 
generally to all makes of shaft governors. Where 
radical changes are to be made, the builders should 
always be consulted, and the knowledge that each 
understands best how to operate his own special design 
of governor has impelled us to insert in the following 
chapters the rules of procedure, or instructions, of 
the builders, for use with each design named. In 
the study of the succeeding pages, the reader will 
note where these general instruction^ ^Pply to the 
individual cases. 

The two classes of governors as specified in Chapter 
I will be covered in these individual cases, but in the 
event of the operator not having an engine named 
individually in these chapters, the general rules of 
this chapter will no doubt cover the case. 



Ill 



ADJUSTING THE RITES INERTIA GOVERNOR* 

The inertia governor, invented by F. M. Rites, is 
now regularly used on engines made by considerably 
more than one hundred different manufacturers. It 
is thus the most commonly used governor for high- 
speed engines, and is already being adopted for use on 
slow-speed engines as well, either in place of the ball 
governor for Corliss valve-gears, or as a shaft governor 
for the large four-valve medium-speed engines now 
coming into general use. The principles governing its 
action, and the various ways of adjusting this gov- 
ernor to produce desired results, are of interest to every 
stationary engineer. 

The Rites governor consists of a single piece of cast 
iron in the general form of a bar, mounted at right 
angles to the engine-shaft and carried on a pivot-pin 
parallel to the shaft. At a suitable point on this bar 
is provided a wrist-pin to which the valve-rod is con- 
nected, or if the governor is placed elsewhere than at 
the end of the engine-shaft, an eccentric is used instead 
of the pin. A spring opposes the inertia force of 
the bar. 

* Contributed to Power by R. E. Cahill and S. H. Bunnell. This governor is 
in the second class of the third group, Chapter I. 

?>2> 



34 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



The accompanying sketch (Fig. ii) shows the gov- 
ernor-wheel in outhne, and the elementary form of 
the governor-arm. Observation will make it evident 
that the governor-arm, considered as two heavy masses 
Ay B, will tend to overtake the fly-wheel if the engine- 
speed is reduced, as by increase of load, and to fall 




PIG. II 



behind the fly-wheel if the engine-speed is increased, 
as by decrease of load. It is also evident that the gov- 
ernor-arm, considered as a mass M located at the center 
of gravity of the whole arm, tends to swing in when 
the engine-speed is reduced, and out when the speed 
is increased. The arm therefore takes a position in 
which its centrifugal force balances the spring-tension 
(or as nearly that position as the arm stops will allow). 



ADJUSTING RITES INERTIA GOVERNOR 35 

and moves relatively to the engine-shaft forward and 
inward if the engine-speed is decreased, and backward 
and outward if the engine-speed is accelerated. 

The valve-rod pin (or the crank of the eccentric 
if that is used) is located nearly on the line from the 
arm-pivot center to the shaft-center, and distant from 
the shaft-center by the lap of the steam-valve when 
the governor-arm is in full-speed position. In prac- 
tice, the governor is keyed to the shaft so that the 
arm-pivot pin is a little ahead of the center line of 
the engine-crank when at full speed. To prevent 
running over speed when without load the steam-lap 
must be great enough to give practically no opening 
when the governor-arm is in full-speed position, which 
means zero lead in this position. As the arm swings 
in, the lead increases, but not enough to give a proper 
lead in the usual running position unless the governor 
is set a little ahead, as described. The corresponding 
disadvantage is an excessive lead at late cut-offs. 

The governor is designed by the engine builder in 
accordance with certain emperical rules developed by 
Mr. Rites from extended experience. It should have 
power enough to actuate the valves of the particular 
size of engine for which it was designed, and should 
only need adjustment in some of the several ways 
provided in order to meet the special requirements 
of any particular case. The first step in correcting 
faulty regulation of an engine is to determine the 
speed under a small load, say one-fourth of the rated 
load of the engine. If the speed is steady under small 
changes of this load, but too slow, tighten the gov- 



36 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

ernor-spring; slacken the spring to decrease the speed. 
If the spring is not strong enough, so that screwing up 
further has not the effect of raising the speed, or if 
the spring is stretched to the Hmit of space allowed, 
one or more coils may be cut off, or any attached 
weights removed from the short end A of the arm. 
If the speed is not steady, but changes irregularly 
without corresponding change in load, look for trouble 
in the pivot-pin bearing — lack of oil or a cut and 
scored pin or bushing, and correct this first. 

Next increase the load and observe the speed of the 
engine. If it drops more than desired, try setting the 
spring-pin farther toward the governor-arm pivot 
along the slot provided, or remove any attached 
weights from the end/^ and reduce the spring-tension; 
or add a small weight to the end B of the arm on the 
spring side, or both. Moving a weight on the end A 
from I to 3 has a similar effect, but in less degree. 

It sometimes happens that the drop in speed can- 
not be overcome by the usual methods of weighting. 
In such cases, first making sure that the lap of the 
valve is sufficient, look for a hard-running valve, 
which, at full stroke, pulls excessively on the governor, 
springs the rocker-arms and connections, and by the 
combinations of fault causes the speed to drop. If 
possible, keep the load steady while counting or other- 
wise observing the speed. If the speed does not drop 
somewhat from light load to full load, the governing 
will probably be unsteady under quick changes, and 
the spring-pin should be moved out in the slot, or 
weight added to the short end of the arm on the spring 



ADJUSTING RITES INERTIA GOVERNOR 37 

side. After any such change the speed will have to be 
brought back to the desired rate by adjusting the 
spring, as at first. 

Next try the speed with all load off the engine, if 
that condition is ever likely to exist in the plant. If 
the speed rises considerably, the steam-valve leaks, 
or the steam-lap is insufficient to cover the ports en- 
tirely when the governor-arm is in the full-speed 
position. It is often found that a valve which appar- 
ently has the proper amount of lap will open slightly 
as the piston advances and allow the engine to run 
considerably over speed when the load is thrown off. 
Condensing engines will almost invariably run con- 
siderably faster without load, and it is best not to 
attempt to keep the no-load speed down to the exact 
figure, as the increased lap necessary makes the lead 
in the running position deficient. If the valve is 
decided to be too short, it is often easiest to make an 
offset-pin for the valve-rod, and put this in place of 
the regular pin in the governor-arm so as to decrease 
the throw at minimum travels, and thus save buying 
a new valve. Careful observation of the speed of the 
engine under different loads, and successive adjust- 
ments in the manner described, will soon bring the 
engine to the desired condition. 

In adding weights it is well to bear in mind that a 
change in the weight of the governor-arm as a whole 
is not what is wanted, but a change in the distribution 
of the weight. If you find yourself about to add a 
weight which will act exactly opposite to one already 
in place, try taking off the other weight first; perhaps 



38 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

none is required. If the desired regulation has been 
obtained by a combination of weights on one or both 
ends of the arm, experiment will usually prove that the 
same result can be secured by a single weight properly 
placed. It is merely a question of balancing the cen- 
trifugal force of the governor-arm against the tension 
of the spring. If these are exactly balanced at all 
points there will be no permanent change of speed 
from no load to full load, which is sometimes a desir- 
able condition and is easily attained by the inertia 
governor; or the weight and spring-pin may be ar- 
ranged so that the balance will vary at different points 
of the movement, the arm requiring a greater speed 
to hold it out against the extreme tension of the spring 
than to balance the spring-tension in other positions, 
giving an increase of speed as load decreases. By 
overbalancing the governor, an engine could be made 
to run much faster with load than without, but for 
safety and reliable running the full-load speed should 
be nearly two per cent, lower than the no-load speed. 

The adjustment of speed to load as described de- 
pends on the centrifugal effect. Steadiness under^ 
change of load depends on the inertia effect, and is 
next to be considered. When the load is suddenly 
increased, the consequent checking of the engine-speed 
allows the governor-arm to run ahead of the wheel, 
carrying the center of gravity and lengthening the cut- 
off. If the fly-wheel is sufficiently heavy and the 
inertia effect of the governor-arm great enough, the 
engine-speed may drop only slightly. But with a 
free-moving governor the arm is likely to swing too 



ADJUSTING RITES INERTIA GOVERNOR 39 

far, resulting in too late a cut-off and an increase of 
speed after the momentary drop as the load first came 
on, followed by a swing the other way as the engine 
overruns the governor-arm, and so on. These swings 
are quite regular, and very clearly shown by the volt- 
meter on a direct-current unit. If a sudden change in 
load produces two or three long swings before the en- 
gine finally steadies itself, try adding a weight to the 
long end of the arm, on the line through the centers 
of the pivot and the shaft. One swing is to be ex- 
pected, but the engine should be so regulated that it 
will swing once up and back to the correct figure, never 
passing the normal speed twice for one change of load. 
If the speed changes too much at first and comes back 
too slowly, extra weight on the long end B of the arm 
is probably needed, as in the other case. 

The most troublesome condition is irregularity. 
Engines are sometimes found to vary speed unaccount- 
ably, perhaps suddenly, and at odd intervals. Stick- 
ing at the pin is a common cause of this, but too free 
a pin may possibly allow the governor to float under 
insignificant impulses and produce a similar efi'ect. 
The governor-arm is unbalanced against gravity, and 
if the engine is run at too slow a speed it may fall for- 
ward somewhat during half the revolution and back- 
ward during the other half, making the cut-off too 
long on one end, or irregular in successive strokes. 
Sometimes the gravity effect combines with valve- 
rod friction or inertia and makes the motion kick the 
governor so that the valve-gear moves with peculiar 
jerks. A simple brake, as a piece of flat spring bear- 



40 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

ing on the arm, or a dash-pot, may be the easiest means 
of controUing this. A large, stiff governor-pin intro- 
duces just the necessary element of friction to make 
the governor stable, and is thus desirable for other 
reasons than strength. 

A common cause of complaint with large governors 
is hammering on the stops in starting or shutting down 
the engine. This can usually be overcome by moving 
attached weights and noting whether hammering is 
inrecased or diminished. Usually the proper change 
is in the direction of adding weight on the spring side 
of the arm and increasing the spring-tension, though 
it may be necessary to add weight at both ends. It 
is a peculiar fact that friction in the valve-gear operates 
to help the governor-spring, so that an engine may be 
speeded up several revolutions by excessively tight 
valve-stem packing or any similarly acting cause. It 
is well to look over the valve motion as a possible cause 
of any unaccountable change of speed. If a brake is 
used on the governor and is set up too tight, it may 
cause continual changes of speed through its action in 
checking the governor-arm as it swings out or in, and 
so preventing the arm from floating gradually to the 
proper position. 

It may be necessary to adjust the governor with no 
other data than what can be learned by watching the 
switchboard meters while the engine runs in service, 
andapplying the proper remedy for the apparent fault 
on the occasion of the next shut-down. It may take 
an hour's careful watching to make sure regarding the 
real action of the governor; for the only sure way is 



ADJUSTING RITES INERTIA GOVERNOR 41 

to wait for the load to change as desired and remain 
constant long enough to give the engine time to settle 
to a steady speed, and repeat the observation until the 
exact speeds under several different loads are ascer- 
tained. 

In conclusion, before altering a Rites' governor the 
engineer should make sure that the main pin and its 
bushings are free and properly lubricated, and that the 
valve has sufficient lap and runs freely. If the arm 
is heavy enough to drive the valve, see whether the 
desired governing effect can be produced by adjust- 
ing the spring; also avoid adding unnecessary weights 
and the consequent overstraining of springs, bushings 
and pins. 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR AND ITS 
ADJUSTMENTS 

The governor of this engine of which (Fig. 12) is 
a cut, comes in class i, group i, as specified in Chapter I. 
The following instructions are for its adjustment. 

Names of Parts 

The following names are given to the several details 
of the governor for convenience of reference. 

The levers or weight arms a a will be called levers here- 
after for convenience. 

The weights A A are clamped on the levers. 

The lever pivots b b are studs, secured to arms of the 
containing wheel on which the levers move freely. 

The links B B couple each lever to ears on the sleeve 
of 

The Governor eccentric C, which is free to turn on 
the shaft and is turned about 90 deg. on the shaft 
by the outward movement or expansion of the levers 
to the outer extreme of their range of movement. 

The main springs F F are of tempered steel wire. 
They are anchored adjustably to the rim of the con- 
taining wheel by means of 

42 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 



43 



The tension screws c c hy which the tension is ad- 
justed. 

The spring clips d d are clamped on the levers a a 
and are provided with slots or eyes into which the 




FIG. 12 



springs F F are hooked. They may be moved along 
the levers and fixed in any position within narrow 
limits. 

The lever stops j f are blocks of wood on which the 
levers rest when not expanded. They are held in dove- 
tail recesses in brackets bolted to the containing wheel. 

The outer lever stops e e are cylinders of wood fitted 
to sockets in the outer caps of the links B B. If the 
levers expand violently they strike the inner surface 



44 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



of the containing wheel rim, but with proper adjust- 
ment they seldom or never touch the rim. 

The auxiliary springs P P are introduced to help the 
levers out during the first half of their outward move- 
ment, when the main springs F F have enough tension 
to give close regulation at light but varying loads. With- 
out them and with such tension the governor would 
race with standard or heavy loads. 

The guide rollers G G are introduced in most high- 
speed engines to restrain the springs from bowing out- 
ward from centrifugal force. They are most needed 
when speed is 250 and upwards, and when the spring 
clips d d are short. [In one or two sizes clips of differ- 
ent lengths have been used.] The trouble that called 
for their use was due to the change in direction of pull 
on the clips in consequence of such bowing, and which 
caused racing when the amount of tension called for 
by calculation was applied. 

Table of Governor Data 

The governors are made in six sizes, numbered i to 6. 
The ''diameter of wheel'' will serve to identify any one 
the data of which may be wanted. 



a 
B 
C 
D 



Number of Governor 



Diameter of Wheel (inches) 
Spring leverage '' 

Weight leverage " 

Initial spring tension '' 



I 


2 


3 


4 


5 


24 


32 


40 


48 


54 


4tV 


5tV 


7 


8i 


9i 


8J 


II 


14 


17 


19 


2i 


3 


3l 


4} 


Si 



66 
12 
24 
6i 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 

DATA FOR WEIGHT CALCULATIONS 



45 



E 
F 
G 


Effective wt. of levers (lbs. oz.) 
Assumed wt. orbit (ft. diam.) 
Resultant spring tension (in.) 


I 
3.25 


1.25 
4 


1-5 

5 


18 

2 

6.25 


20 

2 

6.5 


32 

2-75 
8 



Explanation of the Table 

The diameter of wheel is given as before explained for 
identification. When making calculations or referring 
to data for any purpose, use only those under the given 
diameter which agrees with the wheel of the governor 
under consideration. 

B. The spring leverage is the distance from the cen- 
ters of the pivots of the levers to the centers of the 
eyes of the spring clips. It is adjustable, but the 
amount given is that on which all calculations are 
based. It is fixed at one-half of the weight leverage 
(C) for convenience of calculation. It is also very 
nearly all that can be had in each case, for reasons to 
be made clear presently, but it can be diminished in 
all cases. 

C. The weight leverage is the distance from the centers 
of the pivots of the levers to the point where the whole 
effective weight of the levers and attached weights is 
assumed to be concentrated and which comes about 
central over the ''lever stops.'' 

D. The initial spring tension, is, as nearly as can be 
determined theoretically, the maximum tension that 
can be applied without racing, the ''Spring leverage,'' 
{B) being as given and the auxiliary springs applied 



46 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



and properly adjusted. It is more than could be 
carried in the absence of the auxiliaries, unless with 
very careful adjustment, and other conditions favor- 
able. (See 71 and 129.) 

E. The effective weight of a lever is the weight of an 
unweighted lever with spring clip in position to which 
is added one-half of the weight of a link (B, Fig. 12). 
The weight is found by resting the lever on the scales 
at the distance from the pivot given as the limit of 




FIG. 13 

the "weight" leverage (C) while the pivot is supported 
independently of the scales. (See Fig. 13.) 

F. The assumed diameter of the orbit of the weights 
is an orbit somewhere within the range of movement 
of the levers, so chosen that its diameter will not con- 
tain inconvenient fractions of a foot, as it is assumed 
solely for purposes of calculation. The diameter as- 
sumed is immaterial provided the next item (G) is 
correctly deduced from it. 

G. The resultant spring tension is the initial tension 
(D) augumented by the additional tension that would 
be imposed on the spring by moving the levers out- 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 47 

ward till their centers of force reached the assumed 
orbit. (Neither this nor the initial tension can be 
given exactly for all cases, as the latter depends some- 
what upon the position of the actual center of force, 
which varies in distance from the center of rotation, 
as the levers are heavily or lightly weighted, being 
farthest from the center with heaviest weights. But 
both weight and spring leverages are sufficiently ad- 
justable to enable the desired speed to'be attained when 
the calculated weight is attached.) 

Use of the Table 

To calculate the weight required for a given speed. 

In addition to data furnished by the table, the 
force of the main springs in pounds per inch of tension 
will be needed. This will be generally found stamped 
on the cast heads of the springs; if not, the springs may 
be hung up and weighted till extended one, two or 
more inches, when the weight used divided by the inches 
extended will give the force, which for convenience 
may be represented by the symbol ''f." 

The first step in the calculation is to find the centrif- 
ugal force of each pound of weight revolving in the 
assumed orbit (F) at the given speed, which may be 
represented by ''S.'' The desired force being repre- 
sented by ''cf '' the formula will be, d = S^ x F ^ 5870. 

Next we wish to find the spring force at the point 
of weight leverage (C) and in the assumed orbit (F) 
which we will represent by ''sf." The weight leverage 
being twice the spring leverage the formula will be, 
sf = f xG ~ 2. 



48 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

Then sf -^ cf = the theoretical total weight,* from 
which the item E is deducted, leaving the amount to be 
added to each lever. 

Example, Find weights for No. 3 governor, speed 
(S) 180, spring force (f) 76 lbs. per in. The assumed 
orbit (F) 1.5 ft. and the resultant tension (G) 5 in. 

For the benefit of those not familiar with formula 
we will give the rule arithmetically. 

The force per lb. (cf) is found as follows: Multiply 
the square of the desired number of revolutions per minute 
by the diameter of the orbit in feet (F) and divide by the 
constant number 5870. 

Thus 180^ X 1.5 H- 5870 = 8.28 lbs. very nearly, that 
is, each pound in the given orbit will exert 8.28 lbs. 
centrifugal force. 

Then the spring power 76 multiplied by the resultant 
tension (G, 5 in.) will give the total spring force at the 
spring leverage, the half of which will be the spring 
force at the weight leverage. 

Thus 76x5 -^ 2 = 190 lbs. Then 190 -^ 8.25 = 
22.94 lbs. total weight required. Deducting one- 
sixth from this as per note below it becomes 19.12 
lbs. or 19 lbs. 2 oz. Then 19 lbs. 2 oz. — 7 lbs. 
14 oz. (E) = 1 1 lbs. 4 oz. to be added to each lever at 
point C. 

For other speeds, other things equal, only the first 

*Owing, however, to several disturbing influences, namely: — the centrifugal 
force of the spring itself; the friction of cut-off valve which acts in a direction to 
aid the spring, the inertia of valve and valve gear, the friction of yoke on eccen- 
tric and of eccentric on shaft, as well as friction of pivots, — a correction must be 
applied to this theoretical total weight. Experience shows that five-sixths of this 
amount is usually enough. 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 49 

part of the calculation, finding the cf, needs to be gone 
over again. 

Auxiliary Spring Adjustments 

The junction of these springs has been already ex- 
plained. 

They were first applied in the latter part of 1884, 
for the purpose of securing the exceptionally close 
regulation required for electric lighting. 

As their adjustment cannot be perfected till after 
the engine is started, the shop adjustment (which is 
the best that can be made by a general rule) may in 
many cases require to be changed in order to secure 
the best results. 

The test of perfect adjustment is, of course, close regu- 
lation at all loads without racing at any load, and prompt 
response to changes of load without objectionable change 
of speed, momentary or permanent, but by carefully 
observing the performance of the engine at starting 
the engineer can with a little experience tell almost 
as well when its adjustments are perfect and what 
changes may be needed, as by the test of regular run- 
ning. But to do so he must first familiarize himself 
with the appearance of the governor sufficiently to be 
able to tell the moment the levers begin to expand as 
well as how quickly they do so, and to detect any irregu- 
larities in their outward movement. 

Making white or bright colored spots on the weights 
with chalk, paint or paper will greatly assist such 
observations. 

Perfect adjustment may be recogniied by the following 



50 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

performance: On starting the engine gradually the 
weights will not start outward till the proper speed is 
very nearly reached — so nearly so that the lack of it 
is not noticeable — when they will expand quickly 
but not violently, or so as to strike the outward stop; 
going out, however, nearly their full range, when if the 
load driven is heavy enough to require less expansion, 
they will promptly return to the requred position. 

If, however, they make a few slight oscillations to 
and fro past their position no harm will result, if only 
they always settle in good time. Very close regulation 
requires that the equilibrium shall be at the very verge 
of instability y a proposition that will be recognized by 
all who have thoroughly studied the subject, as true 
of all centrifugal governors. 

Auxiliaries too weak. The performance in such case 
will be the same in kind as though they were absent 
entirely, though more moderate in degree. On start- 
ing, the engine will run above its proper speed before 
the levers will expand, when they will fly out violently, 
and stable regulation will be possible only with loads 
so light as to regulate at one-fourth stroke cut-oflF or 
earlier, that is, such as require the levers to act only 
in the outer half of their range of movement. At 
heavier loads, the governor will race continually. 

Auxiliaries too strong. On starting up the levers 
will start out at noticeably less than proper speed and 
expand gradually as speed increases till the limit of 
the follow of the auxiliaries is reached, when if they 
are much too strong, the expanding movement will 
stop a little till proper speed is reached, when they 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 51 

will finish their expansion with proper promptness. 
The regulation will be the same as in both previous 
cases when the load is too light to bring the auxiliaries 
into action, but with heavier loads the speed will be 
slow in proportion to the undue strength of the 
springs. At maximum load, that is, just sufficient 
load to bring the levers to their inner stops, the 
speed will be reduced to about what was required to 
start them out. 

In all of the three foregoing cases the tension of the 
main springs is assumed to be what it should be with 
the auxiliaries at their best adjustment. 

To enable the engineer, whose engine is without 
them, to judge whether and to what extent his regula- 
tion would be improved by their application, we give 
a description of a performance capable of improve- 
ment, assuming the tension of the main springs to be 
all that can be carried without racing at any load, 
which is always less than will he needed when auxiliaries 
are applied. 

Best regulation without auxiliaries. At starting the 
levers will not start out till proper speed is nearly 
reached (as per 81), but they will expand quickly only 
in part; from about mid-movement outwards the expan- 
sion will go on only as speed increases, requiring a 
greater increase of speed to expand them to near their 
outer limits than that which sufficed to expand them 
through the inner half of their movements. 

The regulation in such case may be good at all loads 
requiring one-fourth stroke cut-off and later but with 
lighter loads, requiring earlier than one-fourth stroke 



52 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

cut-off, the speed will vary much more with a given 
change of load than with heavy loads. 

The strength of the main springs is however a factor 
of some influence in determining the degree to which 
the foregoing performance falls short of perfect regu- 
lation. The stronger they are the closer the regula- 
tion, throughout the whole range, that can be had 
without the help of auxiliaries. 

From the above it might appear that, given main 
springs strong enough, the auxiliaries might be dis- 
pensed with entirely, which is true in some cases; yet 
the strength necessary to obtain that result in all 
cases would impose such severe pressure on the lever 
pivots that the resultant friction would interfere to 
some extent with fine regulation. 

It is a matter of many year's experience that the 
closest and most sensitive regulation possible requires 
that the forces in equilibrium within the governor be 
not so great but that the work imposed on it will very 
slightly disturb the equilibrium at each stroke, so as to 
overcome the static friction of the joints and eccentric 
sleeve, and enable the parts to adjust themselves to 
the load requirements without having to await an 
objectionable change of speed to do it. And when 
the forces are weak enough to be thus sensitized there 
is left a small margin of improvement to be effected 
by the auxiliary springs. 

Applying auxiliary springs to old engines. As be- 
fore stated they were not used till 1884, and although 
many have been since applied to engines built before 
that time, there are still many running without them. 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 53 

The indications for their use have been already given, 
but when such indications are present, the main springs 
should be examined, and if of the kind now made, 
namely, with hooks on one end only, the other being 
closed with a cast head threaded for the tension screw, 
and if figures can be found stamped on the heads we 
would recommend the parties to advise us as to the 
power of their springs, and if the requirements for 
regulation are not exceptionally exacting, it may 
happen that a stronger pair of springs, with required 
weights, will be better on the whole than the appli- 
cation of the auxiliaries. (Our records, however, give 
the spring force in all engines shipped since and includ- 
ing October 9, 1882.) 

To apply auxiliary springs. This should be done 
in all cases where best possible regulation is desired, 
as is generally the case with electric lighting plants 
or engines to be used wholly or partly for that pur- 
pose. 

We can send the springs, bolts and fingers adapted 
for use with existing levers, as shown in Fig. 14, or 
we can at not materially greater cost send new levers 
with fingers fitted as shown in Figs. 12 and 13. 

To fit to existing levers, f-in. or iJ-in. holes should 
be drilled through the cast heads of the levers as 
near the pivot holes as possible without danger of 
breaking into them, and at right angles to both the 
levers and the pivot holes. The surfaces around the 
holes at each side should be faced by chipping, or better, 
''rousting" if a machine-shop is in reach, — to receive 
the lock-nuts shown, and give them a fair bearing. 



54 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



The springs are bolted to the rim as shown in Fig. 
12, the angular position selected being such that the 
fingers will just catch with certainty at their shortest 
reach. 

When the springs are secured in position, the eccen- 
tric should be turned forward till the fingers leave 




FIG. 14 



contact with the spring, which should happen when 
the levers are about half way out or a little more. 
If they leave contact too early or too late, they should 
be taken off and bent outwards or inwards, as required, 
till they follow as above. They are not tempered and 
will not break. 

Add tension to the main springs till regulation is as 
close as desired between lightest and medium or stand- 
ard load. 

Correct the speed by adding to weights, shifting 
them from pivots, or diminishing spring leverage, or 
by two or more of these adjustments. 

Compare performance with foregoing descriptions. If 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 55 

the springs appear too weak give the fingers more 
reach. If too strong (as will be more likely the case) 
take one of them off. If still too strong, grind one 
weaker and use it alone. Grind liberally and fearlessly, 
for if it is made too weak the other can be similarly 
ground and applied, or finger given more reach. 
Strength is easier got than weakness, yet the lesson is 
more instructive if the point of insufficient strength 
is reached and carefully corrected. 

To Change Speed 

For any considerable change of speed the weights 
should be changed, the proper weight for desired speed 
being found by rules already given. 

Slight changes, however, can mostly be made by 
adjustments, of which the following are preferable: 

To Increase Speed 

A. Increase of spring tension may he tried, and if 
when the desired increase of speed is efi'ected in that 
way the regulation remains sufficiently stable, i.e., 
free from tendency to race at any time, the correct 
adjustment has been made, and the regulation will 
be closer than before. But if the tension has been 
made what it should be — all that can be carried with- 
out racing — it cannot be increased, in which case 

B. The weights may he shifted towards the pivots 
of the levers, provided they are not already as far in 
that direction as permissible. [They should not be 
far from central over their stops in that direction.] 



56 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

C. The spring leverage may he increased by slipping 
the spring clips farther from the pivots, provided the 
link heads are not thereby caused to strike the springs 
at mid-movement, as may be tested by turning the 
eccentric forward past its mid-position. A slight in- 
terference so detected will not matter, as when running, 
centrifugal force will bow the springs outward, if not 
too closely restrained by the restraining rollers now 
applied in many cases to high-speed engines. 

When the spring leverage is increased, an increase 
of spring tension equal in amount to about one-half 
the increase of leverage becomes admissible as the 
maximum possible tension is a certain portion of the 
leverage (not to the same in all cases exactly, however), 
not a certain absolute amount. 

To Decrease Speed 

From the foregoing it will be evident that 

A. Spring tension may he reduced if leverage is re- 
duced twice as much at same time, without introduc- 
ing greater speed variation, as reducing spring tension 
alone would do. But this adjustment should not be 
resorted to for any considerable change of speed, as 
it introduces objectionable weakness in the governor. 

B. The weights may he shifted farther from the lever 
pivots, if not already so far from their normal position 
in that direction as to render any further shifting objec- 
tionable, though no trouble is to be apprehended so 
long as they are clear of the links in all positions. 

C. Spring leverage may he reduced without con- 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 57 

current reduction of spring tension, provided the latter 
is not at a maximum. The test of that is the perform- 
ance; if racing is not induced, the adjustment is ad- 
missible. 

To Reduce Speed Variation 

A. Increase spring tension, if possible without danger 
of overstraining. 

B. Diminish spring leverage, if not already as much 
as advisable less than normal. 

C. As A increases speed and B reduces it, a certain 
combination of both together, that is, about twice 
as much reduction of leverage as increase of tension 
will accomplish the desired result without change of 
mean speed. 

// racing results, note whether it occurs at heavy loads 
only, or at all loads. If at heavy loads only, make the 
auxiliary springs follow noticeably more than half of the 
lever movement, and try first with one of them removed, 
and if one alone appears too weak, try greater reach 
of fmger. 

If all adjustments of the auxiliaries, however, fail 
to cure the racing, it may be concluded that the previ- 
ous adjustments A B have been overdone. 

Racing from All Causes 

Enough has been said to make the engineer per- 
fectly familiar with the fact that racing may always be 
stopped by reducing spring tension, increasing spring 
leverage, or both, and nearly always by increasing the 



S8 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

force, or prolonging the follow of the auxiliary springs. 
But cases may arise when none of these adjustments 
should be made. Such is presumably the case when 
it appears spontaneously under adjustments that have 
previously given satisfactory regulation, and also when 
the tension is not in excess of that given in the table, and 
it refuses to yield to any moderate auxiliary spring 
force or follow, and particularly if, when cured by 
auxiliary spring adjustments, the speed variation with 
load changes is objectionably great. 

In such cases undue friction will undoubtedly be 
found to be the cause of the trouble. It may be in the 
lever pivots, the ball and socket joints of the links or 
the loose eccentric on the shaft, one or more of these 
bearings; and may be caused by over tightness, lack 
of oil, rust or gum. Only the ball joints can be tested 
without taking the governor apart, the play at the 
necks of the balls, allowing the links to be slightly 
rotated back and forth, and when this can be done 
easily they are free enough. The lever pivots can be 
tested by taking off the retaining nuts and washers of 
the studs and slipping the levers partly off, when the 
condition of the exposed surface will be apparent, and 
the needed remedy (cleaning and oil) readily applied. 
But to test the condition of the eccentric bearing per- 
fectly, the eccentric should be both unstrapped and 
disconnected from the levers so as to be rotated freely 
on the shaft. If dry or gummed, it may be simply 
oiled with or without preliminary doses of turpentine 
or kerosene, but if this fails to eliminate all sticking 
points, the governor should be slipped back or taken 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 59 

off to allow the eccentric to be moved aside (the larger 
sizes are made in halves and hence can be removed) 
when any brusies or tight points can be discovered and 
corrected. 

New engines will seldom require such treatment 
unless the eccentric has been too closely fitted, but 
older ones, especially after standing some time, or the 
use of gummy oil, may need it. 

The kind of racing caused by friction is, however, 
noticeably different from that due to over tension or 
insufficient auxiliary spring force, as follows: when 
caused by friction the levers will expand and stick in 
that position till speed falls more or less according to 
the amount of friction, when they will drop in and 
again stick till the speed increases sufficiently to again 
expand them, and so on. Apparent sticking on the 
inner position is not to be taken as evidence of friction, 
since that will happen with insufficient auxiliary spring 
force; but nothing but friction will cause dwell in the 
outer position, during considerable change of speed. 

Over-packing the cut-off stem will disturb the equilib- 
rium of the governor and cause irregular action, but 
not usually racing as above described, but rather 
irregular flopping in and out of the levers. 

The cut-off stem should not be packed with any of 
the hard kinds of packing, and such soft kind as may 
be used (candle wick is as good as anything) should be 
renewed often enough to avoid the necessity of screw- 
ing it up so tight as to cause friction enough to dis- 
turb the governor and wear the rod out. 

Undue friction of the eccentric straps, whether from 



6o SHAFT GOVERNORS 

lack of oil or too light adjustment will sometimes cause 
racing, accompanied by acceleration of speed, much as 
though the spring tension had been considerably in- 
creased. Some acceleration of speed always results 
from this cause, even when racing does not, and the 
same is true, though to a less extent of undue friction 
of the cut-oflF valve, its stem packing or its rocker- 
shaft and pins; and, as no other accidental change 
(except the slipping backwards of the governor wheel) 
can cause acceleration, when that symptom appears 
attention should be at once directed to the conditions 
of the parts named. 

The difference between the effects of undue friction 
of the above-named parts, and of the working parts 
of the governor and the eccentric on the shaft should 
be well understood by the engineer. Friction of the 
latter parts may be C3\\td static friction, as it tends 
to hold the parts concerned stationary, relatively to 
the shaft and wheel, as against the movements re- 
quired for cut-off variation, in both directions alike, 
while friction of the other parts named tends to pull 
the levers of the governor inwards, hence it may be 
called dynamic friction, or since inward pull on the 
levers is a centripetal action, like that of the main 
springs it may be more descriptively called centripetal 
friction. 

From the above it will be understood that it is the 
static friction that most tends to cause racing when 
in excess. Of the parts concerned in producing cen- 
tripetal friction only undue friction of the eccentric 
straps will cause racing, because that of the other parts, 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 6i 

being absent at the dead centers of the eccentric move- 
ment, is too intermittent to cause any other disturb- 
ance than that already described in Sec. ii6. The 
eccentric strap friction, on the other hand, is tolerably 
constant, and consequently acts like increased spring 
tension. 

It will be seen from the foregoing that there are 
three frictional effects going on in the governor, namely, 
the static, the constant centripetal, that of the eccentric 
straps only, and the intermittent centripetal, that of the 
cut-off valve, its stem and the joints and bearings of 
its gear. 

The static and the intermittent centripetal frictions, 
when normal, counteract each other's bad effects, so 
that regulation can be, and mostly is, as sensitive as 
though all parts were entirely frictionless. Thus, the 
former prevents the latter from jerking the levers in- 
ward to an objectionable degree each stroke, yet not 
so effectually but that it (the static friction) is over- 
come and the eccentric turned by a minute amount- 
at each jerk, while it recovers its position by contrary 
movements between jerks. The static friction being 
thus overcome four times in each revolution, in each 
direction alternately, is practically neutrali{ed leaving 
the governor entirely free to respond instantly to all 
changes of load or pressure. • 

The Constant Centripetal effect of the friction of the 
eccentric straps has no material effect on the sensitive- 
ness of the governor; it only slightly increases speed, 
other things equal. 

But this centripetal effect is not uniform through- 



62 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

out the range of movement. It is the greatest at the 
extremes of the range where the angle formed by 
the Hnks B B (Fig. 12) with a hne joining the pins in 
the eccentric ears is acute or obtuse, and least near the 
middle of the range where it is a right angle. From 
this fact results the need for the auxiliary springs. 
The entire theory of the matter need not be explained 
here; — the leading lacts being sufficient for those who 
do not care to study the subject exhaustively. 

The auxiliaries permit the spring tension to be ad- 
justed to the requirements of the outer half of the range 
of movement, while they prevent the tension from 
being in excess during the inner half, as it would other- 
wise be. 

The Theory of Spring Tension 

The force of a spring increases in direct proportion 
as it is bent (by extension in present case, or in what- 
ever way it is acted on), and the centrifugal force of 
a body in like manner increases in direct proportion 
as it moves farther from the center of motion, the 
number of revolutions per minute remaining constant. 

Consequently, in the absence of all disturbing 
causes, if in a governor of the kind in question, the 
spring tension be made such that if the lever be moved 
inwards till its center of force reaches the center of 
motion, or a line joining its pivot and the center of 
motion, in other words, its :(ero of centrifugal force, it 
(the spring tension) would reach its zero at the same 
time, the two forces would increase in the same ratio 
(at a constant rotative speed) as the lever moved 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 6t, 

outward, and consequently the speed would be the 
same at all points in the range of movement; in other 
words, the regulation would be isochronous. 

But suppose the tension to be less than this, so that 
as the lever moved inwards the zero of spring force 
would be reached before that of centrifugal force, then, 
as it moved outward the spring force would increase 
more rapidly than the centrifugal force at a constant 
rotative speed, so that a constantly increasing speed 
would be required to keep the forces in equilibrium, 
and the number of revolutions the speed would have 
to increase in order to carry the lever outwards through 
its range of movement would be the extreme measure 
of the governor's variation. Thus, if lOO revolu- 
tions in a given time be required to start the levers out- 
ward, and 105 in same time to expand them to the 
outer limits of their range, the extreme variation 
would be 5 per cent., which would be tolerably close 
regulation, seeing that in practice the changes of load 
and pressure seldom cover more than half the range. 

To Obtain Closest Possible Regulation 

Although enough has been said in Sees. 80 to 100 to 
cover the entire ground, yet a concise rule in this 
place will be convenient. 

1st. Give the main springs all the tension that 
can be carried without racing at any load from nothing 
up to near quarter cut-off, as nearly as can be judged. 
If indicator cards can be taken to show range of cut- 
off the test will be far more intelligible. If tension 



64 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

cannot be given as desired, on account of fear of over- 
straining the springs or lack of room at the tension 
screws, the spring leverage may be reduced a Httle; 
but in some way get tension or its equivalent, till the 
regulation within the above range is as close as desired. 
2d. Count the speed at as heavy a load as can be 
applied with certainty that the weights do not touch 
their stops. If indicator cards can be consulted, 
apply load till it shows about half-stroke cut-oflf. 
Generally, as the auxiliaries are adjusted at the 
works this speed will be too slow. If it is more than 
3 or 4 per cent, slower than the light load speed, reduce 
the auxiliary spring force till the speed is brought up 
as near the light load speed as desirable. Reduce 
first by diminishing the finger* reach as much as pos- 
sible, and if this fails to bring the speed up as desired, 
take off one of the springs. If still too slow, grind 
the remaining one weaker unless it is found that it 
follows three-fourths of the distance out or more, 
when it may be sprung together a little, but in no case 
so much as to reduce the follow to one-half the move- 
ment. It should be noticeably more than half, unless 
less is finally found to be better by actual comparative 
test. If now no racing occurs at any load, the adjust- 
ment will probably be as perfect as desired, though a 
count of as many intermediate loads within the range 
of the action of the auxiliaries as possible may reveal 
some irregularities worth while correcting. For in- 
stance, if on counting under a series of loads from 

* The " fingers" are shown in Fig. 12, at p.p. Reference to them in proper 
place was inadvertently omitted. 



THE BUCKEYE ENGINE GOVERNOR 65 

heaviest down, the gain of speed as load diminishes 
is found to be proportionately too rapid at first, the 
auxiliaries should be made to follow out farther, but 
at the same time weakened sufficiently to prevent 
making the half-cut speed any slower, as would happen 
if the spring or springs were simply opened to prolong 
the follow. 

But the last correction is unnecessary if no signs 
of racing appear; the regulation within the proper 
working range will be closer without it, but bear in 
mind that with too short follow the light load regula- 
tion may be perfect and the half-cut speed not ob- 
jectionably slow, yet at certain loads between half 
and quarter-cut it will race, or come too near it for 
perfectly satisfactory performance. 

To Change the Direction of Motion 

The main eccentric follows the crank about 60 deg. 

The governor, however, must be taken apart en- 
tirely; the lever pivot studs b b removed to the holes 
shown as used to attach the guide roller carriers G G, 
but which will be found unused when guide-rollers 
are not applied; the tension screws c c placed in the 
extra holes that will be found in the proper place; the 
auxiliary springs similarly removed to the places pro- 
vided for them, and the whole put together as shown 
in Fig. 12, if that view shows the desired direction 
of motion, as shown by the arrow, or as it would show 
if viewed in a looking-glass, if it represents the reverse 
of the desired direction. 



66 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

The simple rule, to so put together that when the 
engine runs in the desired direction the pivoted ends 
of the levers will lead, the weights follow, and so that 
when the levers move outward the eccentric will be 
advanced, i,e,, turned on the shaft in the direction 
the engine is to run, will cover the case so far as in- 
structions should be needed, the proper application 
of the main springs auxiliaries and guide-rollers (if 
any) being simply a matter of making them perform 
their functions as before. 

The new angular position of the wheel is found by 
the fact that when the weight levers are on their inner 
stops, the governor eccentric and crank will be on 
their dead centers at the same time and in the same 
direction. 



STRAIGHT-LINE ENGINE GOVERNOR 

This governor, a cut of which is shown in Fig. 15, 
is the design of Prof. John E. Sweet. It comes under 
the second class of the second group described in 
Chapter I. 

The eccentric A is mounted on the disk B and is 
pivoted at C. The eccentric center swings across the 
shaft center when actuated by the weight D. This 
weight is pocketed for shot to admit of changes by 
taking away or adding to the weight. The weight 
and arm are in one piece, pivoted by the pin E, The 
end of the weight-arm is connected to the eccentric 
disk by the link F, The spring G is made fast to the 
weight-arm by the band H, The adjustment of the 
spring-tension is obtained at the point / by slacking 
or screwing up the binding bolt K, 

To increase the speed of the engine, increase the ten- 
sion of the spring, or decrease the weight, or both. 

To decrease the engine-speed, decrease the spring- 
tension, or increase the weight, or both. 

Bear in mind that if the proper sensitiveness has 
been reached and only the speed is to be changed, 
the change should be made in the weight alone. 

// the governor is sluggish, first see that everything 

67 



68 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 




STRAIGHT-LINE ENGINE GOVERNOR 69 

relating to the valve-motion is free; then, if still slug- 
gish, add more spring-tension and more shot in the 
weight pocket. 

// the governor races, it may be due to sticking in 
some of the joints or in the valve-rod; if these are free, 
decrease the spring-tension and take away shot from 
the weight. 



VI 

IDEAL ENGINE GOVERNORS 

The a. L. Ide and Sons Co. use the Rites Inertia 
Governor on the engines they now put out, and have 
done so for some time past. Chapter III of this 
book, with the remarks here given, covers all there 
is to be said in reference to the adjustment of these 
governors. 

The Ide Company has made an improvement in 
the Rites governor in the shape of a revolvable bronze 
bushing shown at A (Fig. i6). Owing to the fact 
that great wear comes on this pin, this bushing is 
placed there, so that a new surface can be turned to 
the wearing side of the pin frequently. This is done 
with a spanner-wrench which comes with the engine. 
The builders recommend that the bushing be re- 
volved a little each day when the governor is oiled. 
On the face of the lug B, on the pulley-spoke to 
which the spring is attached are stamped figures 
which indicate, first, the speed of the engine, and 
second, the distance that the eye-bolt should ex- 
tend through the nuts in order to adjust the governor 
as it was adjusted when the engine was tested in the 
shop. The spring is attached to the governor-bar by 
means of a sliding block C (Fig. i6). The block is in 

70 



IDEAL ENGINE GOVERNORS 



71 



the correct position when the Hne marked on it is 
even with the hne marked on the bar. 

These builders, in former years, put on the market 
a centrifugal governor of which Fig. 17 is a cut, and 




FIG. 16 



as many are still in use, some instructions regarding 
them will follow. In taking this governor apart for 
oiling and cleaning, allow the sliding block A, which 
holds the end of the governor-spring, to remain with 
its outer edge on a line with the mark across the face 
of the slide, and in readjusting the spring, place the 



72 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



same tension on it as was on it originally. This can 
be ascertained by measuring the length of thread 
through the nuts before slackening them. On this 
type of governor which is designated in the second 




FIG. 17 



class of the second group in Chapter I, the weight B 
can be moved back and forth on the lever C by slacken- 
ing the set-screw until the weight can be moved by 
hand. This will have the effect of adding to or taking 
from the weight. 



IDEAL ENGINE GOVERNORS 



73 



Moving the weight out toward the end of the lever 
has the effect of increasing it, and moving it in toward 
the fulcrum pin D has the eflFect of decreasing the 
same. 

Changes of speed should he made with the weight. 

To get increased speed move the weight in toward 
the fulcrum-pin. 

To decrease speed, move the weight toward the end 
of the lever. 

To make the governor more sensitive, move the block 
A, Fig. 17, toward rim of wheel. 

To make it less sensitive and correct it for racing, 
move block A toward hub of wheel. 

The face of the slide is marked with a line where the 
outer edge of the block which holds the spring should 
stand. Figures stamped on the face of the slide show 
the distance that the end of the eye-bolt should ex- 
tend through nuts. This gives the right tension on 
the spring. Tightening the spring will give closer 
regulation, but if the spring is too tight, it will cause 
the governor to ''race.'' ''Racing'' caused by over- 
tension of the spring can be stopped by moving the 
block nearer to the center of the wheel. 



VII 



ADJUSTMENT OF FLEMING ENGINE GOV- 
ERNORS* 

The governor used on Fleming engines, built by 
the Harrisburg Foundry and Machine Works of Harris- 
burg, Pa., is of the ''Centrally Balanced Centrifugal 
Inertia type,'' shown in Fig. i8. Assuming one of these 
governors to be out of adjustment, the weights being 
removed from pockets A and B and the springs loose, 
in order to properly adjust proceed as follows: 

First Adjustment 

Locate the outer ends of the springs about the center 
of the slots, refer to table (page 76) for the size of 
spring corresponding to that in the governor, noting 
the initial deflection. Draw up the two bolts C, C, 
sufficiently to stretch each of these springs by the 
amount of this deflection. Now start the engine and 
bring it up to speed, pocket-weights being removed and 
springs given tension shown in the same table. If the 
engine runs much too slowly the springs are too light 
and a heavier set should be used to get the desired 
speed. If, on the other hand, it runs too fast, add one 

* This governor comes under the second class of group two in Chapter I. 

74 



FLEMING ENGINE GOVERNORS 



75 



weight of equal thickness to each of the pockets, A 
and By placing the weights of larger diameter in A 




FIG. l8 



pockets and the smaller ones in B pockets; if it still 
runs too fast, add another set of weights of equal thick- 
ness, selecting the proper thickness to reach the de- 
sired speed. 



76 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

Springs for Harrisburg Governors 



O.D. 


Wire 


Total Coils 


Init. Def. 


Def. Due to Gov. Throw 


Total Extension 


2." 


A" 


23 


iT' 


ir 


2i" 


if" 


tV 


27 


itV 


ii" 


2:r 


2 " 


t" 


33 


If" 


li" 


2j" 


2h" 


1" 


33 


lA" 


li" 


2ir 


2\" 


f" 


i5 


li" 


li" 


3 " 


2\" 


tV 


3i 


lA" 


li" 


3A" 


2|" 


t'/ 


35 


li" 


li" 


3l" 


2i" 


A" 


39 


2 " 


2}" 


4i" 


2r 


r 


39 


if" 


2i" 


4i" 


2|" 


tV 


39 


2f" 


2i" 


4l" 


3i" 


f" 


31 


3i" 


2i" 


6i" 


3i" 


S" 


33 


3 " 


21" 


5f" 



To Adjust to the Proper Point of Sensitiveness 

If the governor ''races'' or ''weaves/' move the 
damp to which the outer end of the spring is attached 
in the slot farther from the rim of the wheel, that is, 
toward D. If this does not entirely correct the racing 
tendency, screw the spring-plugs farther into the 
springs and adjust the tension for proper speed. Tak- 
ing out thin weights of equal thickness from each 
pocket and reducing the spring tension also assists 
in checking a racing tendency. 

To Correct Sluggishness 

If the governor is too sluggish, that is, not suffi- 
ciently sensitive in order to reach the proper speed. 



FLEMING ENGINE GOVERNORS 77 

add a thin weight of equal thickness to each pocket 
and increase the spring-tension. The spring-tension, 
however, must not be increased to such an extent as 
will make the initial deflection, when added to the 
deflection or tension due to governor throw, greatly 
exceed the total deflection shown in the last column 
of table, and corresponding to that of these springs. 
While the total extension of the springs may some- 
times slightly exceed that given in the table, there is 
danger of injury to the spring by a greater extension. 
If still greater sensitiveness is desired, move the clamp 
to which the outer end of the spring is attached, in 
the slot nearer to the rim of the wheel. Screwing 
the plugs a part of a turn out of the springs and 
increasing the tension will make the governor more 
sensitive. 

If, with these adjustments, the governor cannot be 
made sufficiently sensitive, the springs are too heavy, 
and a lighter set should be used. 

In cases where these governors are equipped with 
dash-pots, a sluggish action of the governor on start- 
ing up in a cold engine-room is sometimes due to the 
fluid in the dash-pot being cold and thick. This 
trouble will usually disappear after the engine has 
run a short time. 

To Correct for Speeding Up 

If the engine speeds up when the load is thrown 
off, it is either because the valve has too much lead or 
is sticking through lack of proper lubrication, or 
may possibly be leaking, due to wear, as speeding 



78 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



up, due to the adjustment of these governors, is not 
likely to occur. 

Care of Governor 

The governor is a simple piece of mechanism, but 
it is one of the most important parts about the engine, 




CD 

riG. 19 



© © 



FLEMING ENGINE GOVERNORS 79 

and should be so treated. The springs should be dis- 
connected occasionally, and the governor parts and 
valve gearing should be tested, by hand, for freedom 
of all bearings and joints. It is also a good plan to 
take the governor bearings apart occasionally, and 
examine them to see that they are getting proper 
lubrication. Clean them thoroughly before putting 
them together again. Before starting up the engine 
always see that all bolts and nuts are tight. If the 
governor is equipped with dash-pots keep them full 
of either glycerine or equal parts of cylinder and 
engine oil. Fig. 19 shows the governor with the 
weights out of the pockets. 



VIII 



Mcintosh, seymour and co.'s engine 

governor 

This type of governor comes under first class and 
group of Chapter 1. The governor is shown in detail 




ENGINE GOVERNOR 8 1 

in Fig. 20. This figure shows the one governor in 
two positions. 

The position of the governor parts when the engine 
is not running is shown at the left. The centrifugal 




FIG. 20 



weights are at their inner limit of travel and the gov- 
ernor eccentric is so placed as to give maximum cut- 
off. In the view at the right the centrifugal weights 
have moved into their extreme outer position, and at 
the same time have pulled ahead the eccentric, to 



82 SHAFT GOVERNORS. 

which they are connected by Hnks and which is free 
to revolve on the shaft, sufficiently to cut off the 
steam entirely from entering the cylinder. This con- 
dition is approached when the engine is running 
and the load is thrown off. The centrifugal force of 
each weight is opposed in a direct and practically 
frictionless manner by a plate-spring A, A, through 
a hardened steel pin fi, B, with a ball-and-socket 
bearing at the end of the spring and at the center 
of gravity of the weight, so that there is no friction 
or pressure due to this force upon the pin upon which 
the weight swings. This permits the use of a very 
heavy weight, having great centrifugal force and 
making the governor powerful. There are provisions 
for grease lubrication of all wearing surfaces. The 
tension pins between springs and centrifugal weights 
are arranged to telescope, in order that they can be 
adjusted to secure proper sensitiveness; for by length- 
ening these pins the governor can be made to regulate 
more closely, and by shortening them, over-sensi- 
tiveness or racing can be removed. Dash-pots are 
provided, which give stability to the governor, so that 
it can be adjusted to give nearly perfect regulation 
without any tendency to race under a fluctuating 
load. 

The speed at which the engine will run can be raised 
or lowered by reducing or increasing respectively the 
small lead weights C, C, C, C, provided for that purpose 
in holes in the centrifugal weights. This adjustment 
should be made last, for it does not alter the sensitive- 
ness of the governor to change the speed in this way, 



ENGINE GOVERNOR 8^ 

while any adjustment of the sensitiveness as described 
above also changes the speed. 

The governors of Mcintosh and Seymour engines, 
when designed for driving alternating-current genera- 
tors in parallel, are provided with patent compound 
time-delayed dash-pots, without which successful 
parallel operation is impossible with generators of 
large size and high frequency. When two alternating- 
current generators are running in parallel, each gen- 
erator has a tendency to oscillate back and forth with 
reference to the other, with periodic transfer of load 
from one generator to the other, called ''surging/' 
A governor, which is properly sensitive, without the 
time-delay dash-pot, must respond to these fluctua- 
tions of speed, and when the conditions are such as 
exist with large generators of high frequency, reso- 
nance is produced; that is, the action of the governor 
tends to increase the speed fluctuations, causing the 
surging to build up from an imperceptible beginning 
until parallel running is impossible. If the governor 
is dampened by ordinary devices sufficiently to stop 
this effect, it will fail to control the speed properly, 
with danger of the engine running away if a consider- 
able part of the load is suddenly thrown off. The 
compound time-delay dash-pots dampen heavily the 
governor-action for any fluctuations of speed of very 
short duration, such as those just described; but under 
the action of even the slightest change of speed, if 
persistent beyond this short interval of time, they 
automatically release the governor avoiding any 
impairment whatever of the speed regulation. 



84 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

A speed changer is sometimes placed on governors 
where synchronizing of units is desired. 

The mechanism of the speed changer consists of an 
auxihary weight arranged to sHde on the main cen- 
trifugal governor-weight, while the engine is running, 
in such a way as to change the speed of the engine by 
altering the centrifugal force to be resisted by the gov- 
ernor spring. The auxiliary weight is moved by a 
screw which in turn is rotated by a small electric motor 
mounted on the governor-weight. 

This motor can be connected electrically, through 
a collector on the engine shaft, to a double-throw 
starting-switch on the station switchboard, in such a 
manner that the amount and direction of the motion 
of the electric motor can be controlled by the starting- 
switch so as to give the desired change of speed. 

Adjusting Governor of a New Engine 

Put all the lead pieces in the holes in governor- 
weights and tighten the set-screws well down into 
them. Then, with the shortest length of tube in the 
governor adjusting pins (B, B, Fig. 20), put the pins 
in place between ends of springs and governor-weights, 
care being taken to have the ends of pins well greased. 
Be sure that the bolting of governor-spring is secure, 
and that all governor parts are ready for service. 
Then start the engine non-condensing and without 
load, opening the throttle little by little so that the 
speed may increase very gradually. 

Count the speed from time to time to make sure 



ENGINE GOVERNOR 85 

that it does not exceed the rated or normal speed by 
more than 5 per cent. At no time should the speed 
be allowed to exceed this amount. If the above in- 
structions have been followed the governor will prob- 
ably control the engine at some speed considerably 
below its normal speed. If, however, the engine runs 
up above normal speed, and the governor-weights 
have not then opened wide, the governor does not 
control the speed properly and it may be necessary 
to change its adjustment. Before doing this, however, 
make an examination as follows: See that the springs 
do not rub hard against the spring-guides, and that 
they do not strike the bottom of spring-guide or any 
other part of the wheel when in outer position. Then 
remove the springs, disconnecting the auxiliary eccen- 
trics from the valve-gear, and see that the governor- 
weight when connected to eccentric-sleeve, swings 
freely from inner to outer positions and strikes against 
stop-pins. Make perfectly sure that eccentric-sleeve 
turns freely on shaft. Connect up valve-gear again 
and make sure while turning the engine a com- 
plete revolution, that the cut-off valves are entirely 
closed when the governor-weights are in the outer 
position. 

If no trouble has been discovered in any of these 
particulars remove the second leaf from each spring, 
considering the shortest leaf as the first. Then start 
the engine and run up to speed as before. If the weights 
do not open, remove the fourth leaf, and, if necessary, 
the fifth and sixth. 

The object of the foregoing operations is to secure 



86 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

governor-control of the engine at some speed below 
the normal, and at the same time obtain a sluggish 
regulation. The next step should be to secure correct 
adjustment of the sensitiveness of governor, to give 
proper closeness of regulation, after which the speed 
should be adjusted to the desired number of revolu- 
tions per minute. 

When the governor-control has been secured as 
above, the sensitiveness of governor will probably be 
found to need increasing by increasing the length of 
the adjusting-pins between the governor-weights and 
the ends of the governor-springs. The adjusting- 
pins should be gradually lengthened one-half inch at a 
time, until the proper sensitiveness is reached, always 
keeping the length of the pins the same. These ad- 
justing-pins should have been unscrewed before putting 
them in position, and the length of the threaded parts 
measured, as, when in position, at least i| inches of 
threaded part must always be left in the socket. If 
longer pins are required than this will allow, put in 
the next longer set of the tubular parts of the adjust- 
ing-pins. 

At the start the sensitiveness of the governor should 
be made such that when the load is removed the in- 
crease of speeed will be not less than 3 per cent. After 
the engine has run awhile the sensitiveness can be 
increased sufficiently to make the corresponding in- 
crease 2 per cent. In determining the speed of an 
engine always count the speed for several consecutive 
minutes, and divide the total number of revolutions 
by the number of minutes during which the speed is 



ENGINE GOVERNOR 87 

counted. The speed-light should always be taken 
after the load has been removed. 

In many cases it is not convenient to secure a load 
for testing the sensitiveness of governor, as has been 
just described, when an engine is first started, and 
generally the easiest way of securing a proper prelimi- 
nary adjustment of sensitiveness, with engines of small 
size, is to continue lengthening the adjusting-pins until 
the engine ''races." Then reduce the length of pins 
until ''racing'' ceases. With large engines it is fre- 
quently impossible to make them race. In such cases 
an approximate preliminary adjustment of sensitive- 
ness may be made, when not convenient to secure a 
load for engine, by lengthening the adjusting pins 
until speed of engine is from 5 to 10 per cent, below 
normal. 

After securing a more or less perfect adjustment of 
sensitiveness of the governor, as above, bring the en- 
gine up to speed by reducing the amount of lead in 
the holes in the governor, or the centrifugal weights. 
Begin by removing one-half the lead from the hole in 
each governor-weight which is farthest from the pin 
on which it turns, replacing the lead removed with a 
similarly shaped piece of hard wood to secure the re- 
maining lead. The resulting change in speed of en- 
gine will give an approximate idea of how much should 
be removed to secure the desired speed, bearing in 
mind that removing lead from the holes in weights 
farthest removed from the pins on which weights 
turn will affect the speed three or four times as much 
as will a similar change in holes nearest these pins, 



88 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

and that the same amount of lead should be kept in 
corresponding holes in each weight. It is intended 
that the engine should regulate well and be at proper 
speed with every hole in the weights about one-half 
filled with lead,, but the effective stiffness of springs 
is quite uncertain, and the necessary amount of lead 
will vary to correspond. If, with all lead weight 
out, the speed is still too low with the governor suf- 
ficiently sensitive, one or more leaves must be added 
to each governor-spring, placing the added leaves 
between the longest leaf and the leaf next to it in 
each case. 

Fundamental Principles for Regulating a 
Governor 

To make a governor more sensitive, increase the 
tension in springs by lengthening the adjusting pins; 
to make it less sensitive, reduce the tension by shorten- 
ing the pins. To increase speed of engine, remove 
lead weights from governor-weights; to decrease speed, 
increase the amount of lead in the weights. 

These two principles should be studied carefully 
until thoroughly understood, as nearly all failures to 
successfully regulate a governor are caused by dis- 
regarding them. 

In this connection, always remember that altering 
the sensitiveness by changing the length of adjust- 
ing-pins, also alters the speed of the engine. The speed 
should be brought back to. that desired by a proper 
change in the amount of lead in the weights. Chang- 



ENGINE GOVERNOR 89 

ing the speed by changing the amount of lead weights 
practically does not affect the sensitiveness. 

Delay Dash-Pots 

Engines designed for operating directly connected 
alternators in parallel are provided with patent delay 
dash-pots; otherwise the alternators will, under certain 
conditions, set up periodic cross-currents which may 
keep increasing in strength until the units are forced 
out of step. The delay dash-pot prevents this ''surg- 
ing'' of currents with any generator not abnormally 
sensitive, but at the same time does not affect the 
regulation of the governor for actual change of load. 
As it is of the greatest importance to the proper action 
of these dash-pots that they be kept completely filled 
with oil, they should be filled every time the engine 
is shut down. 

Directions for adjusting these patent delay dash- 
pots should be secured, if necessary, from the builders 
of each particular engine. 

Operators often request information of the builders 
in reference to their left-hand or right-hand governors. 
The builders need some information from the opera- 
tors before giving full instructions, and Figs. 21 and 22 
show a cut of the data sheets they desire to have filled 
out. A study of these will enable the operator to 
give the data desired without first sending to the shops 
for such sheets. 



90 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 




FIG. 21 



Speed. . . .Revs, with no load. 
Plain Weight-Arm. 

No. of leaves in spring, .... 
Lead weight in inner hole, . . . . 

*A tB 

Remarks: 



II . . .Revs. with. 



in outer hole, 



,H. P. ||... Revs. with.... K.W. 

Speed Changer Weight-Arm. 

Sliding weight in ... . position. 

No. of leaves in spring, 

Lead weight in outer hole, . . . 
*A tB 



Signed, 

Date 

Note — Plain governor weight-arm has two holes which hold lead weights for ad- 
justment of speed. Outer hole is the one farthest from pin on which arm is 
pivoted. Speed changer governor weight-arm has no inner hole. In giving 
amount of lead weight in hole, state what proportion of hole is filled with lead, 
i.e., "half full," "quarter full," etc. FILL OUT THIS REPORT AND RE- 
TURN TO SHOP AS SOON AS GOVERNOR IS ADJUSTED SATIS- 
FACTORILY. 

*A = Length over all of adjusting-pin. 

fB = Distance from center of weight pin to center of spring cup. 



ENGINE GOVERNOR 



91 




FIG. 22 



Speed. . .Revs, with no load. 
Plain Wetght-Arm. 

No. of leaves in spring, .... 
Lead weight in inner hole, . . 

*A tB 

Remarks : 



||.. .Revs. with... H. P. || ... Revs, with K. W. 

Speed Changer Weight-Arm. 
Sliding weight in. . . .position. 

No. of leaves in spring, 

in outer hole, .... Lead weight in outer hole .... 
*A tB 



Signed 

Date 

Note. — Plain governor weight-arm has two holes which hold lead weights for ad- 
justment of speed. Outer hole is the one farthest from pin on which arm is 
pivoted. Speed changer governor weight-arm has no inner hole. In giving 
amount of lead weight in hole, state what proportion of hole is filled with lead, 
i.e., "half full," "quarter full," etc. FILL OUT THIS REPORT AND RE- 
TURN TO SHOP AS SOON AS GOVERNOR IS ADJUSTED SATIS- 
FACTORILY. 

*A = Length over all of adjusting-pin. 

tB = Distance from center of weight pin to center of spring cup. 



IX 



ROBB-ARMSTRONG-SWEET GOVERNOR 

A CUT of the governor manufactured by the Ames 
Iron Works for use on their engines is shown in Fig. 23. 
This governor is placed in the second class and group 




FIG. 23 
92 



ROBB-ARMSTRONG-SWEET GOVERNOR 



93 



in Chapter I. The weight A is fastened directly to 
the spring B, which is secured at C The tension on 
the spring is changed by taking up or slackening the 
tension-studs D. The eccentric-arm is pivoted at £, 
moving the eccentric-pin F, which changes travel of 
valve and point of cut-off. The arm is actuated by 
the spring direct, by means of the one link F, one end 
of which can be changed in its position by shifting the 
pin into any one of the series of holes shown. 

To increase speed, give more tension on the spring. 

To decrease speed, give less tension on the spring. 

To get closer regulation, and more sensitiveness, move 
the pin in the eccentric lever closer to the shaft- 
center. 

To make more sluggish and put a stop to racing, move 
the pin in the lever toward the rim of the wheel. 

No change of weight is provided for, as the above 
allowance for change is considered by the makers to 
be sufficient to cover all requirements. 



X 

THE FITCHBURG STEAM-ENGINE GOVERNOR 

The type of governor shown in Fig. 24 is in the 
second class of the first group of Chapter I, and is 
of the patent and manufacture of the Fitchburg Steam- 
Engine Company, used on all engines of their make. 

The small weights shown are to counterbalance the 
weight of valves, stems and eccentric, and are not 
to be considered in the adjustment of the governor. 
The weights A, A are changeable. Adding weight 
decreases speed, and taking it away increases it. The 
weight-arms are pivoted at 5, B, and are opposed 
by the springs C, C, which are attached, as shown, 
directly to the weights. 

Tightening the springs, increases speed and sensitive- 
ness. 

Slackening springs, decreases speed and sensitive- 
ness. 

These engines are so carefully adjusted in the shops 
as to require little change of weight. The principal 
changes for speed and sensitiveness are to be made on 
the springs. 

To get more speed, tighten the springs. 

To lessen the speed, slack oflf on springs. 

To get more sensitiveness, increase tension on springs; 

94 



FITCHBURG STEAME-NGINE GOVERNOR 



95 



or, if speed is already attained, increase the tension 
and weight at the same time to keep the speed at the 
same point. 

To make more sluggish, decrease spring-tension, and 




FIG. 24 



if speed is right, decrease weight also to keep the speed 
at the same point. 

As correct valve setting is necessary to good regu- 
lation, the following extract from the builders' instruc- 
tions as to how to locate the governor-case on the shaft 
will be of service. 



96 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

The location of the governor-case is determined by 
placing the engine on one dead center and rolling the 
case around the shaft until the offset of the eccentric 
is on the opposite side of the shaft from the crank-pin. 
Then roll carefully into such position that when (with 
the springs removed) the eccentric is thrown back and 
forth across the shaft, no end motion is given the valve- 
rod'. At this place tighten the governor-case firmly 
upon the shaft and turn the engine to the opposite 
dead center, and again move the eccentric back and 
forth across the shaft. If there is at this end any 
end motion to the valve-rod, change the position of 
the governor-case on the shaft enough to make the 
motion just half as much, then fasten the governor- 
case firmly in this final position by drilling into the 
shaft for the point of the set-screw and then tighten- 
ing the clamp-bolts to place solidly. Put in the springs 
and tighten them until the proper number of revolu- 
tions is obtained. Be sure to tighten up those that 
go through the counterbalance which hangs nearest 
the springs (when the governor is at rest) about three- 
fourths of an inch more than the springs on the other 
side. 

When it is desired to change the direction of rota- 
tion of a Fitchburg engine a new eccentric must be 
procured from the makers and put on in place of the 
one on the governor. 

The ends of the links which connect the weight- 
arms must be changed, on the counterbalance weight- 
arm end, to the holes opposite those which they 
occupied in the old eccentric. 



XI 



THE AMERICAN-BALL BALANCED AUTOMATIC 

GOVERNOR 

Herewith is illustrated a new type of fly-wheel 
governor, manufactured by the American Engine 
Company, of Bound Brook, N. J., and with which the 
American-Ball engines are now equipped. It is the 
outcome of redesigning the Ball balanced automatic 
governor. 

In the new type. Fig 25, two features are embodied, 
one being the method of establishing a gravity balance, 
and the other the arrangement and relation of the 
springs, of which there are two. A second arm is 
provided in the governor, as shown in Figs. 26 and 27, 
which is so pivoted that its center of gravity prac- 
tically coincides with the center of the shaft, and there- 
fore cannot develop centrifugal force. The arm B is 
pivoted at the most desirable point for determining 
the path of motion of the valve-actuating pin, the 
second arm B being so connected to the centrifugal 
governor that the gravity of one is always opposed 
by the gravity of the other at every position of the 
governor-wheel. By this arrangement the centrif- 
ugal force of the governing-arm, under the control 
of the spring, governs the engine, and the disturbing 

97 



98 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

gravitation of the arm is balanced by the opposing 
gravity of the second arm, which has practically no 
centrifugal force. 

Attention is especially directed to the arrangement 
of the double springs for the prevention of the trouble- 




- FIG. 25 

some swaying characteristic of a single spring, when 
used, due to the centrifugal force and gravitation. 
These springs are convenient for slight adjustments 
for the difference in speed at the several points of 
cut-off. 

Should the speed decrease under load more than is 
desirable, this fault may be corrected by slacking the 



AUTOMATIC GOVERNOR 



99 



spring C and tightening the spring D which makes the 
governor more nearly isochronous. On the other hand, 
if the action of the governor is unstable, slacking the 
spring D and tightening the spring C will correct it. 




FIG. 26 



For slight changes of speed, the nut F may be tight- 
ened or slacked, but for a considerable change of 
speed it is necessary to add to or take from the 
weight in the pocket E of arm A. 

In Figs. 28 and 29 are shown the parts of which the 
governor is composed. It will be seen that the gov- 



lOO 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



ernor-weight or arm A is provided with a brass bushing 
G, in which three oil grooves are cut which permit of 
freely lubricating the steel-governor weight-stud //. 
The arm A is connected to the eccentric carrier arm B 




FIG. 27 



by means of the governor link /, which is fitted with 
graphite bushings K and held in place by the gov- 
ernor link-pin L. The eccentric carrier arm is fitted 
with a cast-iron bushing M, which is quite suitable, 
there being so little movement at this point that a 
bushing of special material is unnecessary. At the 



AUTOMATIC GOVERNOR 



loi 




I02 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



^:r7 




AUTOMATIC GOVERNOR 103 

point in the boss on the arm A, a tempered knife- 
edge P is inserted. Three notches are filed in the hole 
so that the knife-edge will fit snugly and not turn. On 
this knife-edge is suspended the governor-spring eye- 
bolt R, in the eye of which is fitted a piece of tempered 
tool-steel at /?S which wears on the tempered knife- 
edge. This eye-bolt is threaded at the opposite end, 
over which is fitted the governor-screw spring-clip Z, 
which is held in place by a nut and lock-nut. The 
springs C and D, Figs. 26 and 27, are screwed into the 
spring-eyelet T at one end and the spring-screw U at 
the other. 

The arm A has two lugs cast on it at V and Wy in 
which are fitted a piece of round fiber, which, coming 
in contact with the lug X on the governor-wheel, fixes 
a limit to the movement of the arm A. 

These governors are made for engines running over, 
unless ordered otherwise, although provisions have 
been made for permitting of changing to governors 
running in the opposite direction. If, for instance, an 
engine were equipped with a right-hand governor so 
that it ran over, and it was desired to operate the en- 
gine in the opposite direction, it would be necessary 
to drill holes for the arrangement of the proper pins 
and springs as shown in Fig. 27. The position of the 
governor would then become reversed and the engine 
would operate in the reversed direction. 



XII 

CURTIS STEAM TURBINE GOVERNORS 

The General Electric Company, in the manufacture 
of the Curtis Turbine, uses a governor of the spring- 
loaded fly-ball type on the main shaft, and necessarily 
operating at the same speed without the introduction 
of intermediaries. The movement of this governor 
actuates the device controlling the valves admitting 
the steam to the turbine. The assembly of these tur- 
bines with the governor at 17 and the valves it con- 
trols at 18 is shown in Fig. 30. A detail view of this 
governor is shown in Fig. 31. A certain percentage 
of the spring effect is carried in a small spring under 
the control of a motor operated from the switch-board, 
for the purpose of varying the speed of the turbine in 
order to synchronize with other machines. 

Referring to this figure the following is a list of the 
various parts of a 





Maine 


Turbine Governor 


I. 


Governor bracket. 




6. Nut for upper end of stud — 


2. 


Stud for frame. 




with lock washer. 


3. 


Middle plate. 




7. Strap for studs. 


4. 


Top plate. 




8. Bolt for strap — with nut 


5. 


Nut for lower end of stud — 


and locker washer. 




with lock washer. 




Q. Fulcrum block. 



104 



CURTIS STEAM TURBINE GOVERNORS 



105 



10. Guide roller block, 

11. Bolt for fulcrum and roller 

blocks — with nut and 
lock washer. 

12. Guide roller — with pin and 

cotters. 

13. Governor weight. 

14. Knife-edge block — with 

screws. 

15. Hook — with screws. 

16. Plug for balance pocket. 

17. Yoke for links. 

18. Links. 

19. Universal joint. 

20. Lower governor plug. 

21. Upper governor plug. 

22. Governor spring. 

23. Key for upper plug with 

screws. 

24. Adjusting nut for upper 

plug. 

25. Connection rod. 

26. Gimball transmission bear- 

ing. 

27. Ball races for Gimball bear- 

ings, upper and lower. 

28. Gimball pivot — for box. 

29. Gimball pivot — for beam. 

30. Bushing for pivots. 

31. Gimball ring. 

32. Beam. 

:^:^. Dome — with bolts. 



34. Cover plate for dome — 

with cap screws. 

35. Bearing bracket for dome 

— with bolts. 

36. Spindle for roller bearing. 

37. Rollers forbearing. (Num- 

ber.) 
^S. Bushing for bearing. 

39. Pin for attaching synchro- 

nizing connection to beam. 

40. Connection for synchroni- 

zing spring. 

41. Upper plug for synchroni- 

zing spring. 

42. Synchronizing spring (give 

dia. spring, dia. wire, ac- 
tive turns). 

43. Traveling nut for syn- 

chronizing spring. 

44. Limit switch. 

45. Synchronizing motor (Se- 

ries d. c. — Give rating). 

46. Worm for synchronizing 

gear. 

47. Bracket for worm. 

48. Worm wheel. 

49. Cap for synchronizing 

screw. 

50. Synchronizing screw 

51. Bracket for synchronizing 

gear — with bolts. 



io6 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 




FIG. 30 



CURTIS STEAM TURBINE GOVERNORS 



107 




FIG. 31 



Operation of Governor Explained 



By referring to Fig. 32 the following explanation 
of the governor-action will be made plain. 

The governor-bracket, holding the weights and spring, 
revolves with them and the shaft. The shaft extends 
up through the bracket at H, The spindle C revolves 
with the bracket and swivels in the end of the beam, 
which is stationary. The motion of this beam is 
transmitted through the rod D (Fig. 33) to the arm 
G and to the pilot valve of the oil cylinder i5, contain- 
ing the piston A, which actuates the main arm. The 



io8 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



main arm transmits the motion, either by means of a 
rack connecting with a pinion or by means of cranks, 
to the rod carrying the cams. These cams act directly 



^^S5> 




FIG. 32 

on the valves, opening and closing the number called 
for by the condition of the load. 

In Fig. 32 the governor is shown at rest, in position 
for full admission of steam to the turbine. The 
weight rests on the stop /, which corresponds to 
the inner stop of the weights of a shaft governor. The 
weights are fastened over a knife-edge to the links at 
/, /, and have their fulcrum over the edges K, K. 
The links hold to the yoke in the bottom of the spring, 



CURTIS STEAM TURBINE GOVERNORS 



109 



and the other end of the spring is fastened to the top 
plate by means of the plug and adjusting nut. The 
weights act centrifugally, and as they fly out from 





FIG. SS 



the center they push against the edges K, K, and 
pull against the edges /, /. 

With this governor as with shaft-spring governors. 



no SHAFT GOVERNORS 

tightening the spring increases speed, and slackening 
it, decreases the speed. To tighten the spring of this 
governor screw down on the adjustment nut L (Fig. 
32), to slacken the spring, slack off on the nut. 

To increase the sensitiveness or decrease the regula- 
tion of this governor, increase the number of working 
coils in the main spring, keeping initial tension the 
same. 

To make the governor less sensitive, or increase the 
regulation, decrease the number of working coils in 
the main spring. 

For the purpose of changing the regulation through 
a small range, the weights are provided with pockets 
for loading. Increasing the weight decreases the regu- 
lation and vice versa. Any change in the weight re- 
quires a corresponding change in the initial tension of 
the main spring in order to maintain the proper speed. 



XIII 

CHANGING THE SPEED OF PENDULUM 
GOVERNORS* 

An old engine was brought to a machine-shop to be 
thoroughly repaired. When it was nearly ready to 
set up the question of its future speed was presented, 
and it was decided to run it 65 revolutions per minute. 
An engineer who had had charge of this engine several 
years before was consulted, and he reported that its 
former speed was 75 revolutions per minute. From 
this fact, in connection with measurements made to 
determine the diameter of pulleys used to drive it, 
the speed of the governor was calculated, and as all 
men in charge of plants do not understand the prin- 
ciples involved in this and similar problems, an ex- 
planation of the same will be given in a practical way. 

A governor, as used to regulate the ordinary Corliss, 
or any similar type of engine, is illustrated in Fig. 34. 
In the case already referred to, the crank-shaft revolved 
75 times per minute, and the pulley on it is 9 ins. in 
diameter (see 2 in the cut). The governor pulley 3 is 
12 in. The speed of governor is 75 xg ^ 12 = 56 
revolutions per minute. 

On some of the governors furnished to users the 

* Contributed to Power by W. H. Wakeman. 
Ill 



112 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



speed is stamped, which is a great convenience; other- 
wise, it is necessary to determine experimentally the 
speed required to elevate the balls to their working 
plane. 

The working engineer is often confused in regard to 
changing the speed of engines, because he fails to fix in 
his mind the fact that when the speed of a governor 




FIG. 34 



is once fixed it remains unchanged, regardless of any 
change made in the size of pulleys used to drive it. 

In a swinging-pendulum governor the centrifugal 
force and gravity are equal at one point only in its 
operation. The force of gravity is represented by 
the weight of the balls, and when they revolve fast 
enough for the centrifugal force to equal the weight 
the two forces are equal. The point where the two 
forces are equal, or nearly so, is fixed, so that when the 
balls are raised to the working plane by centrifugal 
force the governor mechanism is cutting ofl^ the steam 



SPEED OF PENDULUM GOVERNORS 113 

at its minimum point. For that reason the same 
speed of governor must be maintained as an increase 
or decrease of engine-speed hastens or delays the cut- 
off action beyond the proper point. If driven a Httle 
too fast, it reaches its highest plane and shuts off steam 
altogether; if a little too slow, it falls to its lowest plane, 
admitting the maximum quantity. If extra weights are 
added to or taken from the governor, if the tension of 
a spring is increased, or decreased, or the reach-rods on 
a Corliss engine are changed, the speed at which a 
governor must be driven to be kept within its operative 
plane will be affected, but this belongs to another part 
of a subject that will receive attention later. 

The governor referred to revolves 56 times per minute 
and it is desired to run the crank-shaft 65 revolutions 
in the same time. Multiplying the speed of crank- 
shaft by the diameter of pulley 2 and dividing by the 
speed of governor shows that the pulley 3 should be 
65 X 9 ^ 56 = 10.4 in. in diameter. 

Where the pulley 3 is to be retained and a smaller 
one put on the crank-shaft, the speed of governor is to 
be multiplied by the diameter of pulley and the product 
divided by the speed of crank-shaft. Then 56 x 12 ~ 
65 = 10.3 in. 

Where a governor is driven by gears the same prin- 
ciple is involved, but some engineers do not understand 
it so, therefore an illustration will be given. 

Figure 35 shows a governor driven from the crank- 
shaft by gears. Here 2 represents a gear on the 
crank-shaft, which drives another gear 3 on an inde- 
pendent stud. The latter is twice as large as the 



114 



SHAFT GOVERNORS 



former and the bevel gears 4 and 4 are alike, therefore 
the side shaft 5 makes one revolution while the crank- 
shaft gear 2 revolves twice. 

The first two years that this engine was used it re- 
vovled 50 times per minute. The bevel-gear at 6 has 





FIG. 35 

44 teeth and 7 has 20, therefore the speed of governor 
is 25 X44 -^- 20 = 55 per minute. 

Suppose, for example, that the 20 gear at 7 be taken 
off and a 30 gear be put in its place, how fast will the 
governor run? Some may figure it at 25 x 44 -^ 30 = 
36.7 times per minute. It has been done so, yet it 
is not correct. The speed of the governor remains 
constant; it is the speed of the engine which may be 
changed. 

This governor revolves 55 times per minute; the 
new gear at 7 has 30 teeth, and 6 has 44, therefore the 
speed of side shaft 5 is 55 X30 4- 44 = 37.5 revolu- 



SPEED OF PENDULUM GOVERNORS 



115 



tions per minute. While 5 makes one turn 2 revolves 
twice, therefore the speed of engine should be 37.5 x 
2 = 75 revolutions per minute. If this reasoning is 
correct (and as a careful count of the speed shows it 
to be 75) it proves the theory to be right. 

Other means adopted for changing the speed of 
engines require a passing notice in order to cover the 
subject. If the center-weight 4, in Fig. 34, is made 
lighter it will decrease the speed of both engine and 
governor, and if made heavier it will increase the same, 
because it will change the plane in which the balls 
travel for a given speed. Some governors have hollow 
center-weights, so that shot can be put in or taken out 
at pleasure. Any change in the weights at 5 will have 
the same effect, as the rod which supports them is a 
continuation of the spindle and collar which carries 4. 

This is a very convenient plan for use in connection 
with a governor that does not respond quickly to 
changes in the load; for, when a heavy machine is 
started up, another weight may be added at 5, and 
when said machine is stopped the weight may be re- 
moved. This is a crude plan when compared with 
modern regulating devices, but it has been found to be 
much better than none. 

The disk 6 is on a lever, and as it is moved nearer to 
or farther from the fulcrum it changes the speed 
slightly. Some governors are adjustable at 7, so that 
by changing the length of arm at this point, the speed 
is changed. The reach-rod 8 may be made longer or 
shorter, thus making small changes in the speed; but 
neither this nor the plan just preceding it is recom- 



ii6 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

mended, as they are not founded on desirable prin- 
ciples, and bring objectionable features into the matter 
which it is well to avoid. When a governor with its 
connection is properly set up, it is not advisable to 
change either 7 or 8, for changes in the former may 
affect the sensitiveness of the mechanism, and care- 
less adjustment of either may prevent a very short 
cut-off, and thus cause trouble in case all of the load 
is suddenly thrown off. 

Some Causes of Trouble with This type of 
Governor 

In almost all makes of these governors there is, a 
pin on which the weights are brought to rest when the 
mechanism is not in action. This is a safety-pin, or 
sometimes a collar, which prevents the mechanism 
from falling so low that no steam will be admitted. 
This pin, or collar, is so placed that when the engine 
is at rest it will get steam. When the engine is in full 
operation the pin is removed or the collar so turned 
that, should the belt or gear break, the mechanism 
would drop so low as to cut off all steam and a shut- 
down results. 

In plants where heavy and changing loads are 
handled, it is not uncommon for one to come on so 
heavy as to make the mechanism drop low enough to 
shut off steam, if the operator has attended to his duty 
of removing the pin or setting the safety collar after 
starting up. The result is a shut-down, and it may 
confuse the inexperienced operator till the lesson is 



SPEED OF PENDULUM GOVERNORS 117 

learned and he knows the cause. Always look at 
the ''safety'' when a shut-down occurs out of the usual 
time. 

Some governor pulleys are secured to the shaft with 
a set-screw which may come loose, or a key even may 
work loose. The pulley may hold just enough to 
slowly rotate the governor but not fast enough to 
bring it up to speed. The result will be a runaway 
engine. An oily or slack governor-belt may also cause 
this. 

The following experience illustrates another cause 
of trouble with governors. 

On a 14 X 36 Corliss engine of from 90 to 140 H. P., 
an overload would cause the steam to follow full stroke, 
as the steam-valves would not trip and cut-off. The 
governor, after going down until the tripping cams 
did not touch and trip the latches, would have a hard 
struggle to rise again to a point where the tripping 
would recommence. It seemed that the force required 
to trip the latches was so great that the engine speed 
necessary to give the governor the needed power had 
to be greatly accelerated, and in going through this 
part of the performance the governor would dance 
violently with every movement of the trip-rods. These 
conditions produced racing, or rather, ''hunting.'' 

The latches, or hook-plates, had a catch surface of 
I of an inch and tripped very stiffly. Thicker leathers 
were placed in the hooks, so they did not overlap the 
plate on the valve-crank so far, reducing the catch 
surface to yV of an inch. At present the governors are 
doing their work satisfactorily, but during two and a 



Il8 SHAFT GOVERNORS 

half years the corners have been worn completely off 
the latches and blocks five times. Of course this is 
due to the very small amount of catch surface allowed. 
The blocks and latches are as hard as any, but the 
decreased area of contact, with increased pressure on 
the plates, causes the increased wear. This is the sac- 
rifice necessary to get earlier cut-off and greater steam 
economy. This is a case where the strain on catch- 
blocks must be reduced to assist the governor in its 
work. 



INDEX 

PAGE 

Action of simple governor of revolving pendulum type 9 

Adjusting governor of new engine 84 

Alternators, operating in parallel 89 

American-Ball balanced automatic governor 97 

Engine Co 97 

Patent Office 14 

Ames Iron Works 92 

Appleton's Encyclopaedia of Applied Mechanics 3 

Arago, M 9 

Arm, motion. Rites governor 34 

Automatic engines, economy 13 

Auxiliary spring adjustments, Buckeye governor 49 

springs, Buckeye governor 52 

w^eight, Mcintosh & Seymour governors 84 

Ball balanced automatic governor 97 

Balls, governor, position 10 

Buckeye engine 3j 18 

engine governor and its adjustments 42 

governor 19 

construction 42 

data 44 

Bunnell, S. H 33 

Cahill, R. E 33 

Care of governor 78 

Carpenter, R. C i 

Catch surface of hook-plates too small 117 

Centennial engine 14 

Exposition, shaft governor 3, 5 

119 



I20 INDEX 

PAGE 

Centrally balanced centrifugal inertia type of governor 74 

Centrifugal force 8, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 31, 34, 38, 44, 47, 62, 82, 
97, 98, 112 

governor, Ide Co 71 

vv^eights 81 

Centripetal force, definition 25 

friction 60 

Cleaning governor 28, 79 

Clock set in motion by steam engine 9 

Compound time-delay dash-pots 83 

Constant centripetal friction 61 

Corliss engine 11 

engine, changing reach-rods 113 

regulating iii 

valve-gears t,t, 

Curtis steam turbine governors 104 

Custer governor 19 

J-D 17 

J. D., patent for shaft governor 15, 16 

Dash-pots 79, 82, 83, 89 

Decreasing speed 56 

Definitions, general 25 

Delay dash-pots 83, 89 

Development of steam engine 7 

Direction of motion, changing 65 

of rotation, changing 30, 103 

Distance from pivot to weight 27 

of weight from fulcrum 27 

Dry parts cause of trouble 28, 29 

Dynamic friction 60 

Early patents of shaft governor 14 

Economy of automatic engines 13 

Eiken berry, Lewis, patent for shaft governor 16 

Engines, automatic, economy 13 



INDEX 121 

PAGE 

regulation 14 

speed 26 

steam, development 7 

literature i 

throttling 13 

Equation for action of governor 9 

Evolution of shaft governors i 

Faulty regulation, correcting 35 

Fitchburg engine, changing direction of rotation 96 

steam-engine governor 94 

Steam-Engine Co 94 

Fleming engine governors, adjustment 74 

Fly-v^heel governor 97 

-wheel, heavy 12 

Friction 82 

cause of racing 26 

of trouble 58, 59 

centripetal 60 

dynamic 60 

retarding effect 11 

static 60 

Fundamental principles for regulating governor 88 

Gear-driven governor, speed 113 

General Electric Co 104 

Generators, large, parallel operation 83 

Governor, action 9 

automatic, American-Ball 97 

balls, position 10 

Buckeye ^ 42 

care of 78 

-case, location 96 

cleaning 28, 79 

connection 13 

data. Buckeye 44 



122 INDEX 

PAGE 

sheets 89-91 

early form 8 

Fitchburg steam-engine 94 

fundamental principles for regulating 88 

Mcintosh, Seymour & Co.'s 80 

of new engine, adjusting 84 

oiling 28, 79 

pendulum 2, 3, 25 

''racing" 73 

revolving pendulum type 9, 11 

Rites S3 

Robb-Armstrong-Sweet 92 

sensitiveness 61, 73, 76, 82, 86, 87, 88, 93, 94, no 

shaft 25 

at Centennial Exposition 5 

classes 19 

construction . » 11 

evolution i 

sluggish 26, 67, 76 

Straight-Line engine 67 

throttling 11 

Watt's 8 

Gravity 9, 10, 26, 1 1 2 

balance, establishing 97 

' effect 39j 98 

Hammering on stops 40 

Harrisburg Foundry and Machine Works 74 

governors, springs 76 

Heavy fly-wheel 12 

High-speed engines S3 

speed of rotation 14 

Hoadley engine 18 

John C 18 

Hook-plates, catch surface too small 117 

"Hunting" of engine 26, 117 



INDEX 



23 



PAGE 

Ide & Sons Co., A. L 70 

Ideal engine governors 70 

Inertia 1 2, 3 1 

definition 25 

effect 14, 19, 38 

Intermittent centripetal friction 61 

Irregular motion 13 

Irregularity 39 

Isochronal, definition 25 

Knight's Mechanical Dictionary 2 

Lap of valve 36, 37, 41 

Latches, catch-surface too small 117 

Leaky valves 32, 37 

Literature, steam engine i 

Location of governor-case 96 

Mcintosh, Seymour & Go's engine governor 80 

Maine turbine governor 104 

Medium-speed engines ;^;^ 

Motion, changing direction 65 

irregular 13 

of arm, Rites governor 34 

valve, shaft governors 19 

uniform, of engine 11 

Muirhead, life of Watt 8 

Newton, Sir Isaac 12 

Oiling dash-pots 89 

governor 28, 79 

Parallel operation of alternators 89 

operation of large generators S;^ 

Patent Ofiice, American 14 



124 INDEX 

PAGE 

Patents, early, of shaft governor ■ . , . . 14 

U. S., for improvements in shaft governor 22, 23 

Pendulum governor 2, 3, 9 

governor, causes of trouble . . . . 116 

changing speed m 

revolving 11 

Perry, Prof. John 2 

Pin, dry ' 28, 39, 41 

Position of governor balls 10 

Pressure plates, weak 30 

"Racing" of engine 26, 27, 29, 57, 87 

of governor 69, 73, 76, 93 

Reach- rod, changing 115 

Regulating Corliss engine in 

governor, fundamental principles 88 

motion of engines 10 

speed of engines 10 

Regulation, bad 30 

close speed no 

closest possible, with Buckeye governor 63 

faulty, correcting 35 

imperfect 11 

Regulation of engines 14, 19, 50, 52, 82, 93, 95 

speed '27 

Retarding effect of friction 11 

Revolving pendulum type of governor 9, 11 

Rites, Frank M 21, 33, 35 

governor, construction ^^ 

Ide Co 70 

inertia governor, adjusting ^^ 

Robb-Armstrong-Sweet governor 92 

Rotation, changing direction 30, 103 

changing direction, Fitchburg engine 96 

Rules, general t 25 

Runaway engine, cause 27,117 



INDEX 



125 



PAGE 

Safety-pin, cause of shut-down 117 

Search for trouble 27, 28 

Sensibility of shaft governors 26, 27 

Sensitiveness of governor 61, 73, 76, 82, 86, 87, 88, 93, 94, no 

Shaft governor at Centennial Exposition 3, 5 

governors, classes 19 

construction 11 

early patents 14 

evolution i 

Shut-down, cause 117 

Slow-speed engines ^;^ 

Sluggish governor 26, 67, 76, 93, 95 

Smith, Prof. Charles A 3 

Speed, adjustment to load 38 

changer, Mcintosh & Seymour governor 84 

Speed, changing 55» 5^, 73, 93> 94, 98, no 

controlling 13 

determining 35, 86 

of engine. 26,35,36,38,40,67,82,86,88, in, 112, 113, 115 

governor 113 

governor, calculating in 

pendulum governors, changing iii 

rotation, high 14 

regulation 24 

variation, reducing 57 

"Speeding up" of engine 26, 29, 32, 77 

Spring, adjusting 36, 41 

American-Ball governor 97, 98 

auxiliary, Buckeye governor 44, 46, 52 

changing 31 

Fitchburg governor 94 

for Harrisburg governors 76 

-force 26, 3 1 

-tension 26, 27, 38, 40, 62, 94, 95, 1 10 

Buckeye governor 45, 46 

changing 55, 5^, 57, 67, 69, 76, 77, 113 



126 INDEX 

PAGE 

Rites governor 34 

Stanton, Samuel, governor patent 18 

Static friction 60 

Steadiness under change of load 38 

Steam engine, development 7 

engine literature i 

-lap, insufficient 32, 37 

Rites governor 35 

** Steam Using; or, Steam Engine Practice" 3 

Straight-Line engines 21 

-Line engine governor 6, 67 

"Surging" Ss, 89 

Sweet governor 27 

Prof. John E 5, 6, 14, 21, 67 

Swinging-pendulum governor 112 

Tension, spring 27, 38, 62, 94, 95, no 

spring, changing 67, 69, 76, 77, 113 

Thompson, Joseph W., governor patent 18 

Throttling engines 13 

governor 11 

Travel of valve 19 

Troubles, cause and remedy 27 

with pendulum governors, causes 116 

Turbine governor, Curtis 104 

governor, Maine 104 

United States patents for improvements in shaft governor ... 22, 23 

Valve connections. Centennial engine 6 

connections, Straight-Line engine 6 

lap 36, 37, 41 

leaky 32 

motion, shaft governors 19 

setting 29, 95 

changing 32 



INDEX 



127 



PAGE 

Wakeman, W. H m 

Watt, James 8 

"Weaving" of governor 76 

Weight 19 

amount 27 

auxiliary, Mcintosh & Seymour governor 84 

centrifugal 81 

changing 31, 37, 39, 40, 41, 55, 56, 67, 69, 73, 76, 77, 82, 88, 93, 94 

95, no, 113, 115 

distance from fulcrum 27 

Fitchburg governor 94 

-force 26 

in gravity balance 19 

removing from arm 36 

required for given speed. Buckeye governor 47 

Westinghouse engine 3 

governor 19 

Woodbury, D. A., governor patent 18 

engine 18 

Wooster, Joab H., governor patent 17 



i\^\> 



